


Light in the Darkness

by Oldine



Series: Birches Grow [7]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-01
Updated: 2017-03-01
Packaged: 2018-09-27 18:21:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 32,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10038116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oldine/pseuds/Oldine
Summary: Following Imbolc, it's also about  new beginnings and personal demons. It's about finding the light at the end of the tunnel, choices and the price for dedication to Torchwood. The past and the future haunt. Family secrets, psychic teenagers, romance and more.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Stories require drama. Completely happy characters do not encourage readers to keep reading. They want conflict. I have changed the character interaction and difficulties in this story completing the first “season” or “series.” I have tossed out bread crumbs leading toward next “season.” There are questions left unanswered. Others require thinking about it. The big question of course is how much of the result was intended. To what extent did Other Keara manipulate time?

** Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales **

** Monday, February 18, 2020 **

Anwen Williams sat in the infirmary reading a book about Komodo dragons. Turtles were boring. Probably the most boring thing on the Galapagos Islands. Komodos were big, scaly, toxic predators. Much cooler. She wondered if that had been John’s intention. Turtles. Blah.

“What?” John blinked.

She hadn’t realized she spoke. “Turtles. They’re boring.”

John groaned. “Mutant turtles?” He sounded confused by his own comment.

“No. Sea turtles. Land turtles. Big, slow, boring turtles.”

“Where am I?”

“Torchwood Three infirmary.” Anwen stood and walked over to him. 

“Oh, dear.”

“It’s been three days. What do you remember?”

“I don’t know.” John tried to move and tugged at the restraints. “What happened?”

“You were exposed to CN again. What do you remember?” Anwen asked.

“Jack. I have to find Jack.” John struggled against the restraints. 

“He’s with Ianto.”

“Gray buried him.” 

“John,” Anwen said softly, “Jack is fine. The drug isn’t completely out of his system, but he’s fine. No one buried him.”

John struggled. “I was there. Gray buried him.” 

Anwen removed her mobile from her pocket. 

“Hey,” Ianto said.

“John is awake. He’s insisting someone named Gray buried Jack. I don’t think he knows who I am.”

“Is he restrained?” Ianto sounded worried.

“Yeah.”

“The night he set off bombs in Cardiff, it had to do with Jack’s brother Gray.”

“Uncle Jack has a brother?”

John stopped struggling. “Uncle Jack?”

“How many years is he missing?”

“Several.”

Anwen removed the necklace from beneath her shirt. It wasn’t something she mentioned often. “John, do you know who I am?”

“No.”

Anwen opened her wrist-strap and showed it to him. 

“How…”

Anwen shook her head. “You’re not allowed to forget me.” Tears welled in her eyes.

“I don’t have any children.” John resumed struggling against the restraints. “I don’t think.”

“That is not funny, John Hart.”

“Where is Jack?”

Anwen started crying and a nearby table started rattling. 

 

Ianto Jones stepped into the infirmary doorway. The indoor wind storm was definitely unexpected. 

“Anwen.” He held his hands out in front of his. “You need to stop.”

A metal table went flying across the room and clattered against the wall. 

“John, what did you say?”

“I don’t know who she is.” 

“Anwen, it’s the drug. He used a portal device to soon,” Ianto explained. “Please calm down.”

When the bolts holding one of the cots started rattling, he hesitated and then stunned her. She dropped to the floor and the wind storm stopped.

“What…”

Ianto moved over to Anwen. He had no idea how to restrain her. “Do you remember the Rift over Cardiff?”

“Yeah,” John said.

“She can control it.” Ianto lifted her carefully.

“Uh. Who does she think I am?” John asked.

“You’re dating an older version of in twenty years.” 

“I what?”

“Hey, look at me.”

“What happened?” Anwen blinked. “My head hurts.” She reached up and tucked her necklace under her shirt. “Was I sleeping?”

“You passed out in the infirmary.”

“I thought the drug couldn’t affect me.”

Gwen stepped into the doorway. “Did you release him?”

“I don’t know. I had this really bad dream.” She sat up and looked around. “It wasn’t a dream.”

“Your mum is going to carry you to my office. You need to rest.”

Gwen walked over.

“Why can’t I stay with John?”

“I need to run medical scans.”

“Did I throw stuff around?” Anwen asked as her mother picked her up.

“Yep.”

John waited until the door closed. “Where’s Jack?”

 

** Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales **

** Wednesday, February 20, 2020 **

General Trefor Williams followed his mother into Torchwood Three. The sewer hub looked much the same. He reminded himself he needed to avoid saying anything negative about it or anything else that could upset Ianto. With his father flirting with imaginary aliens for the uncertain future, he needed to avoid causing problems. 

“Explain this to me.” 

She hesitated. “Anwen was indirectly overdosed with CN. It affected her connection to the Rift.”

“Affected it how?” The general didn’t know that was possible.

“She gets upset, can’t control it and things start flying around the room.”

He hesitated. “How did it happen?”

“John. He was drugged in the future, attempted to portal out of Africa, and Anwen rescued him from the Rift. She tracked him from Whitchurch hospital to Forest Farm without her wrist-com.” Gwen held up her hands. “It gave her a time signature comparable to John’s.” She sighed. “Faced with a fatal exposure, he portaled again. Something went wrong. Anwen is telekinetic and John doesn’t remember her.”

The general rubbed his temples. “What’s wrong with Jack?”

“He received a second overdose of CN in less than two weeks. The fatal overdose John escaped.”

“Has the CN situation been resolved?”

“We don’t know. Ronald Beaupre was found shot to death by the Port of London. Aman probably executed him in retaliation for the bounty in South Africa.”

“Where is Aman?”

“Nova Scotia.”

“Eryn is with them, I hope.” Aman Oliveira and Luc Sarkisian from his time would have made for a complicated, dangerous combination. 

“Yeah. Why?”

“I don’t know Aman’s connection to her. Luc married her.”

“Future Aman attacked Nova Scotia. He didn’t know anything about Luc.”

“No idea.”

“Gwen,” a woman he didn’t recognize said, coming from the back.

“Dr. Bree Nelson, this is General Trefor Williams.”

Nelson stared at him. “Uh, Hart escaped from his restraints again. He tried to charm me into letting him out. Again.”

His mum tapped her ear com. “Ianto, John is loose.” She laughed. “That might give him a heart attack.” She shook her head slightly. “Ianto suggested you catch him. John will know you’re not Jack, but the shock will confuse him.”

“John’s as impossible to keep locked up as Jack.”

“Yeah. Ianto GPS tagged your father. He can escape full backboard restraints.”

“I have a question.”

He smiled at Bree. “Only one?”

“God, there are three of them.” Bree shook her head.

Mum laughed. 

“Who am I being compared to?”

“Jack and John.” Mum chuckled.

He groaned. “Does John have his wrist-strap? Or a tracker.”

“No.”

A thought occurred to him. “You’re not leaving Jack and John alone together.”

“We thought of that.”

Bree held up a hand. “What am I missing?”

“Jack and John worked together a long time ago. They were close.”

Mum laughed. 

“Uh.” Bree shook her head.

He realized something he should have asked. “Did you take Jack’s wrist-strap?”

“Yeah. Anwen had to stop him from trying to go somewhere. Something about pretty aliens.”

A hub alarmed sounded. 

Anwen’s voice came over the intercom. “Ianto, Uncle Jack is in the garden. He’s talking to one of the carnivorous plants.”

“Shit. John is on one of the first three levels. Unless he figured out how to get through the new section locks.” She took off.

“More questions?” He asked Bree as she walked across the main floor with him.

“I don’t know where to start.”


	2. Chapter 2

** The Red Dragon Centre; Cardiff, Wales **

** Friday, February 22, 2020 **

Rhys Williams stopped to pick up pizza on the way to Torchwood. With Anwen on lock-down, and Trefor throwing a continual tantrum if anyone tried separating them, they were basically living at the hub. The same food was getting to him. 

His mobile rang. “Walking into the pizza place now.”

“Thanks,” Gwen said. “It’s crazy here. I needed to hear your voice.”

Rhys smiled, stepping into line. “You will see me soon enough.”

“Ianto needs a break. He punched John.”

Rhys could sympathize. “Is Jack better?”

Gwen groaned. “He stopped flirting with the furniture.” 

“What did he do this time?” Rhys chuckled. 

“Used his belt buckle to jury-rig a lock-pick for a biometric scanner. Ianto has both Jack and John in work clothes without shoes. No buckles or metal buttons or shoe laces.”

Rhys laughed. 

“Jack is preoccupied with locks. Both him and John can escape anything. Restraints, manual locks, electronic locks. We have removed door knobs and deactivated panel controls.” Gwen sighed. “Bree thinks they are trapped in the same type of memories. Training or a situation where they had to escape a similar building.”

Rhys stepped forward in line. As he was about to respond, he heard a scream. “Can you pull up CCTV of the Centre?”

A crashing sound followed. Then a stampede. 

“Calmly move toward the car park exit,” Rhys said loudly as the noise rose beyond the doorway to the Centre. “Police have been notified.”

“What’s happening, Rhy?”

“I don’t know.” The floor shook. 

Rhys described it as he moved toward the Centre door and removed his Torchwood credentials. He rarely used them. “Torchwood. Please exit through the car park.” 

“Get out of there.”

 

Gwen Cooper access the intercom. “We have an emergency situation in progress at the Red Dragon Centre. Bree, you need to hold the fort. Stun anyone you have to. Ianto, get the van and meet us there. Trefor, if we use the back door, we can get there faster than the van.”

“Where is the Webly,” Gwen asked as she rode the lift up with Trefor.

“Secured. Only someone who knows Jack would notice I carry a different gun. They wouldn’t believe the act anyway.”

They ran around the Millennium Center, across Bute Place and toward the coffee shop entrance to the Red Dragon Centre. People were running from the building as they approached. A few people recognized the distinctive clothing the general wore and associated it with Torchwood. Comments were hurdled at them.

A woman in her forties stopped to catch her breath. “Ever seen the old movie Carrie about the Stephen King book.” She waved at the door absently, bent over from exertion. 

The general took off without her. 

“Did you get a good look?” There hadn’t been much time for CCTV and the footage was bad.

“Twenties, male, looks stoned.”

Gwen ran to catch up. The ground shook as she entered the building. Panicked people had trampled others and left them. Bystanders were treated the injured and trying to move them out of the building. Cardiff had seen a few disasters over the years. One would think people would learn.

Following the noise, she saw the offender. Debris was swirling around him, reminding her of Anwen. Gwen tapped her ear com. “CN and Rift connection. Did you bring a destabilizer?” They had learned that from John during one of his lucid moments while Anwen was throwing a tantrum. It worked like a stun gun but was specific to chronons and something else.

“Yep.”

“He may be damaging the foundation,” the general added. “Drive onto the walkway from Bute Place. We need to get him down before he collapses the building.”

Gwen met Ianto at the door. He handed over the weapon. “Do you need help?”

“Do you have a maintenance bot?”

“Yep.”

“Get it prepped. After its launch, go back for another one.”

Ianto nodded.

The general had retreated to the coffee shop by the time she returned. “Let me.” He held out his hands. “Anything happens to you, mum, there will be a line forming to kick my arse. Help Ianto with the bots.”

 

General Trefor Williams accepted the weapon and headed back. He had a portal device, it he had to, but that close to a CN victim would land him lala land with his father and John. At least from what they could guess. They needed Jack and John clear-headed to better understand the situation.

The man stopped, transfixed by his reflection. Or at least appeared to be. Trefor approached from an angle, hoping to avoid being visible in the window, in case the man could make any semblance of rational decisions. Part way there, he started punching the glass. He had to get there before the man could hurt himself.

As he neared, the man spun and glared at him. Pieces of glass broke free and were swirling around him. Trefor dodged glass hurdling at him and fired. The man seemed to catch the energy blast in mid air. He fired again. The man went down with a thud followed by everything floating.

Trefor secured his hands and feet and carried him toward the nearest exit to the Millennium center and the lift. Temporary cryo-stasis might be the only option. Constables were hesitantly entering as he neared the exit.

“Torchwood, get out of the way.”

“He caused the damage?” an older constable asked.

“If he wakes up, without being properly secured, he could bring this building down and the tunnel next to it. Get out of my way.”

They constables moved. “Wanker,” one of them muttered.

Trefor laughed.


	3. Chapter 3

** Adamsdown; Cardiff, Wales **

Gwen Cooper parked in front of the impressive looking block of flats. Effort had been made to remodel Adamsdown in recent years. It reminded her she hadn’t been home for more than a few minutes in days. 

“The lawn will be impressive in the spring,” Bree commented as they climbed out of the van.

Gwen walked toward the sidewalk. “You should see what Ianto has in mind for our building. He has the entire lawn planned in detail.”

“I forgot you mentioned you live downstairs from him and Jack.”

“We have extra flats.”

Bree hesitated, following Gwen toward the door. “Jodi and I need space.”

“I can understand that. She will need to meet us.”

“How did you introduce Rhys to Jack?”

“One of Rhys’ drivers at Harwood Haulage, where he worked before Anwen was born, got him involved in a case.”

“How did that work?” Bree asked as they reached the door.

“Rhys yelled at Jack. Jack called him a caveman.” Gwen searched the resident list. Borthwick was listed. She pressed the button. 

“Yes,” a tired sounding woman said. 

“Leonora Borthwick, my name is Gwen Cooper of Torchwood. We need to speak with you.”

“Torchwood?”

“Yes, ma’am, its about your son Payton.”

The door buzzed. Gwen opened it.

Mrs. Borthwick lived on the six floor. It was one of the nicer places she’d visited working for Torchwood. It was clean, bright and even had live plants in the hallway. They took the elevator upstairs. The first floor had been shades of blue with coordinated artwork. The sixth floor was done in pinkish red. 

The door opened before they reached it. “You found Payton?”

“Yes, ma’am, may we come in.”

The woman was in her late forties with graying hair. She stepped back, holding the door open. The flat was tidy with family photographs everywhere. From a records check, Leonora Borthwick had two children. Her older son died while serving in the Middle East. Her husband died of a heart attack two years later.

“This is Dr. Bree Nelson. She’s Torchwood’s community liaison.”

“Is Payton alive?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Gwen motioned toward a small table. They sat. “Payton is at Torchwood undergoing medical treatment.” They had thankfully been able to sedate him rather than place him in cryo-stasis. 

“Payton survived an ordeal.” Bree spoke kindly. “He will need physical and psychological treatment. It would help to have a background.”

She nodded.

“According to police records, you filed a missing persons report six weeks ago.” 

“I had been trying to reach him for two weeks. His landlord called me to say he hadn’t paid his rent.” She shook her head. “That’s not like Payton. He had trouble paying his bills a couple times. Job and school issues. He called, told me what the problem was, and I made sure they were paid.” Tears welled in her eyes. “I should have known something was wrong when he didn’t visit me in the hospital. He’s not that kind of person.”

Gwen wondered about the police report. The hospitalization wasn’t mentioned. “Do you know of any reason Payton would have been abducted?”

“No. I don’t have a lot of money.”

“Was there anyone or anything different going on in his life?” Bree asked.

“He signed up for a genetic research program. They were interested in studying the genetic origins of people born in Cardiff.” Leonora Borthwick obviously thought that was ridiculous. “They offered him a lot of money for filling out questionnaires and blood work.” She shook her head. “He would have been able to pay his rent.”

“I need to ask an odd question.” Gwen paused. “Did your son believe in psychic abilities?”

She hesitated. “Why?”

“Payton was unwillingly involved in psychic research.” It was the best explanation Gwen had. Explaining drugs created by contaminating mushrooms with alien dragons eggs, and the Rift, was more than Mrs. Borthwick could handle.

“That’s what the geneticist wanted.” She sighed. “Payton could always find weird things. We would be walking in the park and he’d find unidentifiable coins. Or strange things. With all the alien stuff in the news since then, I suspect he could find things that weren’t from Earth.”

Flotsam and jetsom, as Jack would call it, falling through the Rift. Payton could sense Rift energy. 

“Do you have any information on the research program? We need to find it.”

“Yes.” She stood and walked over to a small desk. She returned with a folder. “Payton gave this to me.”

Gwen tapped her ear com and gave Ianto the details. If he couldn’t access the information, he would contact Nova Scotia for assistance. Kailen had already proven he could hack by remotely accessing Torchwood Three.

 

“We have a big problem,” Bree said as they left the building. “If the Rift abilities are genetic and associated with people born in Cardiff, than the researchers not only have victims walking in the door, but each person they find has any number of family members that could be targeted. We need all of their research. What they’re looking for, and how they keep records, will tell us how they’re selecting their victims.”

“There can’t be that many.” Gwen wondered if that was wishful thinking.

“If CN affects abilities, maybe it triggers latent abilities. We need everything we can get. Now.”

Gwen tapped her ear com as she climbed into the van. “Ianto, check missing persons statistics for Cardiff. We need the names of everyone who went missing in the last,” Gwen wondered how far back they should go, “Three months to start. We’re specifically looking for people born in Cardiff and/or cases where there is more than one missing person in the same family.” 

“I need a break.”

“I know. Coordinate with Kailen.”


	4. Chapter 4

** Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales **

Ianto Jones coordinated with Kailen in Nova Scotia. He couldn’t help but remember Tosh. She could have quickly and easily retrieve all the information they needed. Trefor slapped the desk top. He’d been cuddly for hours. Rather than sit on the floor and play with his blocks, he wanted to be held. He’d been surprisingly quiet while he discussed the situation with Kailen.

Thoughts of children reminded him of Lisa and his life views before Torchwood Three. If the Cyberman hadn’t razed the Torchwood Institute, he’d wondered if he would have proposed. Dating Jack was a completely different situation. Even if legal, he couldn’t see Jack settling down. Which made dealing with Trefor stranger somehow. Even if he could think of no other situation which would result in him being a Torchwood office manager and babysitter.

“Food,” Trefor demanded.

Ianto rolled his eyes. He had his father’s manners.

General Williams entered the conference room wearing Jack’s clothes. A two year-old was strange enough. Dating someone with a son about his age was a completely different complication. It didn’t help that he couldn’t stand him. Adult Trefor was a pompous ass who viewed him as the hub butler and his father’s shag toy.

“Nova Scotia will be remotely accessing Luc’s lab.” Ianto stood and shifted Trefor onto his hip. He explained what he knew about the Borthwick situation. “I haven’t downloaded the statistics.” He checked his watch. “Dinner time.” 

Anwen was probably in the garden. They could eat in his office. He needed to find out if Rhys was still willing to pick up food after the situation at the Centre. Otherwise he would have to order out and take baby Trefor with him. Jack and John were another problem altogether. He found setting food out for them worked, if the pterodactyl didn’t eat it.

“Do you want to run statistic or go for takeaway?”

“Statistics. Unless you want to babysit,” Ianto said.

“No. I will get food.”

“The menus are in my desk. I have the nicer places marked blue. Rhys wanted something different tonight.”

The general nodded. “Where do I get updates from the maintenance bots at the Red Dragon Centre?”

Ianto slid a tablet across the desk to him. “You were right about structural damage. I contacted city works, had the tunnel shut down, and traffic rerouted. With three bots, it will take hours and then manual review. The mini bots will work for visual inspection, scans and repairs.”

“How many bots do we have?”

“Four large ones that work. Two others need repairs. Luc could walk someone through from Nova Scotia. John has more experience with them.” Ianto had to think. They lost three during the Cattrel Industry situation. “Eighteen mini bots.”

“Sarkisian left notes about programming problems.”

Ianto groaned. “John created a program for Anwen. It plays Calypso music and throws confetti.”

“Yeah. We used it in Southeast Asia on the security bots.”

“It infected all of the bots. Anwen taught herself to reprogram them using John’s notes. They function, but they play different types of music, and randomly toss confetti or glitter.”

The general pinched the bridge of his nose. “Anwen reprogrammed the backboard and the garden environmental controls?”

“Yep.”

“What is it with music from the 1960s.”

“Blame John. He gave her a preloaded MP3 player for Christmas.” Ianto returned to his seat. “Your sister missed him. With all the stress, Anwen started coping with projects that made her think of him.”

The general slid the tablet back to him. “I thought his relationship with my sister, where I came from, was strange.”

“John taught her how to survive her ability,” Ianto explained. “If she was lost or scared, all Anwen had to do was call him. He never told her he was to busy.”

General Williams headed back toward the door. “Has anyone asked if you mind watching the kids?”

“Your mum.” 

He left, the door closing behind him. 

Ianto tapped the intercom controls. “Anwen, the general is going to get dinner. Come to the conference room.”

 

Sorting missing persons reports in Cardiff had its moments. Previously, they had to consider how many of them were a result of the Rift randomly grabbing people. None of the reports in the last three months fit that criteria. Domestics, runaways, fugitives. He needed the list of program participants to check for a pattern. The only case that stood out involved two brothers and a sister that shared their family home after their parents died. The investigator described a home invasion without motivation. The siblings were missing and all of their easily to pawn goods were still there.

Anwen entered as he was starting the review and as expected, her brother immediately demanded her attention. Handing him over was a relief. She was the only one he consistently listened to.

“Whose the new guy? I felt the earthquake earlier.”

“Payton Borthwick.”

They could scan siblings and children of the missing for Rift energy. It wasn’t guaranteed. Then he remembered a conversation he’d had with Luc about Malcolm. Social media had Luc asking questions. He checked Malcolm’s sisters accounts for information.

“Do you have social media accounts?”

“I’m not thirteen.”

“Anwen.”

“Okay,” She said. “I lied to sign up.”

“Grab a tablet. I need you to check names while I run background checks.”

Anwen brought one to the table. “What are you looking for?”

“People with Rift abilities. Check for ESP, psychic abilities.”

“Witches, magic, paranormal.”

He looked at her. “You’ve done this before?”

“Uh huh. People want to be normal. Dad belongs to business groups and this funny support group for men whose wives work in law enforcement. Luc belongs to a group for orphans who lost parents to violence and several for people with high IQs and no social skills. I look for people with strange abilities.”

Ianto groaned. “You checked my search history.”

Anwen nodded. “Dating Uncle Jack is mental problem.” She pointed at her head. “There is no support group for dating immortal time agents.” She motioned for the screen. “There are support groups for being stuck with your boyfriend’s kids.” She tapped the screen a few times, and held the tablet out for him to see. “’Coping with asshole stepchildren.’”

“Ha ha.”

“What did you want me to look up?”


	5. Chapter 5

** Heritage Genetic Research; Cardiff, Wales **

** Saturday, February 23, 2020 **

General Trefor Williams stepped out of the Torchwood van in the car park next to the renovated office building. The clothing was driving him crazy. Ianto found him a pair of lined combat boots and suitable gloves in his father’s storage. It had him sympathizing with the space fleet pilots whining about his uniform designs. His uniforms were at least practical. Something his father’s braces and buckles routine wasn’t. He almost forgot to remove his sunglasses. One more annoyance. He would be glad when he could go back to Kenya and being himself. 

He crossed the car park and entered the medical reception area. He held up his credentials. “Captain Jack Harkness of Torchwood. I need to speak with Doctor Dera Stealey.”

“What is this about?” the receptionist asked.

“Payton Borthwick participated in a research project. He went missing six to eight weeks ago. Torchwood needs everything we can get about his state of mind when he disappeared.”

“Oh.” The deer-in-the-headlights expression probably meant she had no idea what he was talking about. “I will find someone to take you back.”

A cute, young assistant of some sort opened a door across the room. The young man made him think of Cory Lynch: attractive, well-dressed and calculating. His father would flirt with the man. Appearances, or personal amusement, it wouldn’t matter. One more annoyance of impersonating his father. The general smiled, picturing a rugby player he’d seen outside the Millennium Center yesterday. His mother laughed at him, saying he was predictable. He knew that. When people tried to play him, they provided better eye candy.

“Captain Harkness, I am Simon Morse.” He shook his hand and lingered. “I understand there is a problem with a former participant.”

The general smiled. “Payton Borthwick. I need whatever information you have on him.”

“Doctor patient confidentially prohibits us from sharing information about participants.”

That was debatable. The general removed an envelope from an inner coat pocket. “Leonora Borthwick was given authority over her son’s medical records by a judge this morning. I have the original and a copy for your records.”

Morse reviewed the paperwork. “What happened?”

“We’re not sure. He’s not making a lot of sense right now.” That much was true. “We need as much information about his state of mind as possible. Witness statements have been helpful. But Heritage has questionnaires he filled out and medical records. Possibly video-taped interviews. It could go a long way toward determining why he disappeared.”

The body language shift meant he was getting somewhere. The cute office boy was intended as a distraction. It occurred to him that Ianto didn’t do much field anymore. He handled the hub and the building, but he wasn’t seen with Jack. Unless someone happened to see them together socially. If Morse really was intended as a distraction, they knew something. Or someone. His fathered flirted with everyone. Young and old. His tendency to date his office staff wasn’t public knowledge or shouldn’t have been.

“I need to contact the company solicitor.”

“Not a problem. I’ll wait.”

The more as he thought about it, sitting in the reception area, the distraction had more in common with Cory than Ianto. If it wasn’t exaggerated annoyance at his father, it suggested other possibilities. The party planner had extensive contacts in London. With Ianto’s PTSD-related jealousy issues, he couldn’t imagine Jack spent too much time socializing without him. Unless his father wasn’t as committed as everyone thought. He didn’t want to ask those questions.

Morse returned half-an-hour later. He walked across the reception area and stood too close. The charm was back. “We have so many files to go through. If we knew what you wanted, we could find it quicker.”

Kailen hacked and downloaded your entire computer database in less time than it took to consult your solicitor. “Is there somewhere we could sit and talk about it?”

“This way.” He followed, reminding himself that flirting with the bait was necessary. The man wanted information. He would play the game to sell the con.

 

Two hours later, he returned to the car park with a minuscule amount of information, and an intense desire for a shower. Morse went through the entire handbook on how-to sexually harass your co-worker: accidental contact, innocent bumping, questionable jokes. It ended with an embarrassed smile and a phone number. He suspected his father would have found a way out of the situation before two hours.

“Jack.” A tired man walked up to him in the car park. The tone suggested the man knew his father. He recognized the voice from somewhere.

“We need to talk about Beaupre.”

Derrian Talbot. Shit. He overheard a few Talbot stories from his father over the years. He was never sure if Jack flirted with him because it was amusing, or there was something between them before he married Janne. Either way, the former Army man, and Torchwood operative, would quickly figure out he wasn’t Jack.

“I need to get back to the hub. Ride with me?”

Talbot eyed him. “You’re not carrying your Webly?”

“It was damaged.”

“Who are you?” 

“Jack’s son. He was injured during the incident at Cattrel Industries, Mr. Talbot. I flew into assist.”

“Jack has a daughter.”

“Jack has several children. My mother worked with him. They kept it a secret as long as they could.”

Talbot was not convinced. “Jack’s injured?”

“He didn’t get out of the blast zone in time. He’ll be on his feet in a few more days.”

Whether Talbot believed him, or not, he wasn’t trusting. He started backing up. When he reached for a stun pellet, Talbot went for a gun. The general dodged and the bullet grazed his upper arm. The stun pellet hit and Talbot went down.

He tapped his ear com. “Anyone here?”

“Yep,” Ianto said. “Are you hurt?”

“Yeah. It’s not serious. The police need to be notified I was shot and we’re handling it.”

“Who’d you piss off?”

Love you too. “Derrian Talbot. Has Jack talked about him?”

“Not much.”

“He’s a Torchwood op. Worked with Ronald Beaupre. I need a stretcher with restraints ready when I get to the garage.”


	6. Chapter 6

** Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales **

** Sunday, February 24, 2020 **

Anwen Williams preferred the garden. It was peaceful. She sat under a potted, alien tree that sang every time the mist machine came on. Something about it was calming. She settled in with another technical manual Luc left in his lab. She was getting better at understanding the computers. 

A memory surfaced as she was reading. “ Why are we here, John.” It took a moment to realize she was hearing an older version of her own voice. “ I have a meeting with heads of state. I need to prepare.”

Suddenly, she was standing in a massive garden, watching an exchange between herself and John. The sun was setting over the impressively organized, fancy greenery. A horse snorted unseen. He pulled the older her against him and kissed her. She felt liked a voyeur. Attempting to look away didn’t work.

“ I have work to do.” 

“ The paperwork is done. Langford is handling the details.” John countered.

“ We’re going to make-out in the garden like a couple of teenagers.”

John laughed. “ We could.” She’d never seen him that happy.

The memory faded. Tears were sliding down her cheeks. Anwen wiped her eyes. The emotion stayed with her. 

She felt guilty. Since what happened in the infirmary, she’d avoided John. When he was lucid enough for a conversation, he didn’t know who she was. She could have handled that. The recognition had been replaced by fear. The man that loved her older self was gone. She pushed herself up. He’d nearly self-destructed trying to keep a promise and protect her. She owed him. Whether he had any idea who she was or not.

Finding him was easy enough. After he returned to Forest Farm, she hadn’t mentioned being able to track John. It made her mother nervous. The ability increased after the second portal. It was a different kind of connection she didn’t understand. The CN, Rift energy and portal had done something unexpected. His missing memories were an obvious example.

“John.” Anwen stopped halfway up the hallways from him and crossed her arms. “There is a pterodactyl nest behind that door.”

“I hoped it was the way out.”

“What is it with you and Uncle Jack and locks?”

He turned to look at her. “Determination.” The CN wasn’t affecting him anymore. His chronon signature was almost back to normal. The Rift energy, she suspected, was their connection. 

“Still seeing cute monsters?”

“No.”

Anwen nodded. “Good. You can help me fix the maintenance bots.”

“I wouldn’t know how.”

“Right.” Patience, she told herself. Prince Charming reverted to a frog. “Except you taught me how to program the maintenance bots.”

“Darling…” He hesitated. 

“Do you normally call ten year olds ‘darling?’”

“Uh.”

“What do I call the maintenance bots?” She crossed her arms. “First thing that comes to mind.”

“Roombas.”

Finally. Anwen nodded. “What’s a Roomba?”

“I have no idea.”

“It’s an automated vacuum cleaner. You call them Roombas because of the older version of me.”

“This is ridiculous.”

“Yeah.” She nodded again. “You’re still fixing the Roombas.”

He eyed her wrist as he walked by. It was if she knew what he was thinking.

“My wrist-strap can’t be removed.” 

 

John Hart reviewed the maintenance bot, an impressive piece of technology from another time period. Five minutes into inspecting it, he realized he did know how to repair it. But he didn’t remember having seen one before. “How was this damaged?”

“Electrocuting a biomech. Ianto and I were in the hub. It was to soon for me to connect with the Rift again. You and Uncle Jack were up top trying to avoid walking into a trap. Ianto improvised.”

“This killed a biomech?”

“Between the bots and the Weevils, they took out three of the four, and left the fourth one badly mauled.” Anwen paused. “We probably have security footage of you taking out the last one.”

Unsure of what else to do, he opened the toolbox she’d given him. The tools looked familiar. It gave him an idea. If he could get passed the kid, he could override one of the security panels, and use the bot as a distraction.

“Does this look familiar?”

He looked up and she was showing him the ring she wore on a necklace. “Maybe.”

“Why would you have an engagement ring engraved with ‘Peace’ instead of something romantic?”

That oddly sounded like something he would do. “How did you get it?”

“When you went to Canada to rescue Luc, you gave it to me to hold. I kept it.”

“Luc Sarkisian.” The name came to him. A tall, angry teenager with impressive robots.

“You’re remembering.” Anwen moved closer.

“I don’t know.”

Anwen reached for his hand, on top of the bot. He felt the energy charge but was unable to move in time. 


	7. Chapter 7

** (mall); Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada **

Eryn Sylla wondered at how much her life changed. Less than a month ago, her, Kailen and Aman barely escaped a death squad in South Africa. Their unusual rescuer transported them to Wales. They joined a secret organization protecting the planet from aliens. Then they moved again to Canada. It seemed unreal.

Previous Februarys she’d been preoccupied with music festivals. The year before she started telling people she was dating Aman. A ridiculous lie that only worked with people who didn’t know them. So much had changed since then. Kailen and Aman were solid. Being in Canada meant their relationship could be in the open. Which meant her brother didn’t need to hide himself. And she’d be alone.

Luc Sarkisian was perhaps the strangest part of the change. She barely knew him. They’d had one date, somewhat, and it ended with two men trying to abduct her. She grew up around dangerous men. Usually, they scared her. Luc was broken, angry at the world and inclined to violence. But there was something about him. She’d never met anyone like him.

Jewelry caught her attention, distracting her from important thoughts. The bright colored beads reminded her of home, and she wondered if she could afford anything in the store. She would have gone inside to check, but a man’s reflection caught her attention. He looked familiar. She’d seen him once, no twice, since she’d been shopping. Something made her nervous.

One thing she’d learned being Chenzira Sylla’s daughter was never to ignore an instinctual reaction. She was being followed. With Ronald Beaupre dead, it was assumed they were safe. They were wrong. If he was connected to her father, he would have approached and handed her a mobile. A quick way to prove his connection. Which left Erik Basanjo. Or was an entirely different problem.

Casually, she fished her mobile from her pocket. If the man could hear her, she would make a showing of discussing the jewelry. Calling Aman to ask if she could buy something would alert them. While he was her friend, he’d be the last person she’d ask for fashion advice.

 

** Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales **

The alarm sounded throughout the hub. General Trefor Williams looked up from a laptop in the conference room. It wasn’t a raid alarm. “Computer, identify emergency.”

“Energy surge.” He barely understood the stream of techno-babble. 

A second alarm sounded, reminding him of Torchwood London. That one had him on his feet. It was an emergency alert involving Anwen.

“Computer, locate Anwen Williams.”

“Anwen Williams is not in the building.”

A search for John received the same response. From what he’d seen of John after the Cattrel incident, he would not have abducted Anwen. He was afraid of her. The general needed to know what the other alarm was, and remotely accessed the hub’s system. The power surge was localized to one of the maintenance rooms. Anwen accessed one of the locked storage areas which she shouldn’t have been able to do. Security footage showed some type of discussion. It looked like Anwen was demanding he repair a maintenance bot. He could only guess she was trying to trigger his memories. The footage started having issues more than a minute before it went out. According to the readings, the computer system had been shorted out. Surge protectors kept the damage isolated.

“What’s happening?” His mother entered the conference room.

“I don’t know.” The general explained what he knew.

Ianto’s voice came over the intercom. “Something happened to Anwen.” They could hear baby Trefor screaming in the background.

A blinking icon appeared on the laptop. He tapped the screen. “Torchwood Four reappeared.”

 

Jack Harkness’s thoughts cleared as hub alarms roared. He was standing in the environmental control room holding a make-shift lock-pick and a plastic bottle of purple glitter. A moment passed before he realized he didn’t have his wrist-strap and was wearing utility clothes and no shoes. Although not the strangest circumstances he’d ever found himself in, it was up there.

“Computer, identify emergency.”

“Unable to comply.”

The Torchwood London mainframe was closer option for regaining control. As he walked through the maintenance area, he recognized new locks and realized panels had been disabled. One old fashion door leading to an alchemy workshop belonging to a scientist from the 1930s no longer had a door knob. The locks for the mainframe were extensive. He stared at it a moment before he realized what the situation must have been. They had modified the locks to keep him out of secured areas. 

Using the lock-pick, he gained access to one of the maintenance rooms and a toolbox. It took him five minutes to get through the door. He wondered at first if John jury-rigged the door, but he would have done it differently.

“Identify alarms.” Jack hadn’t thought about it until that moment, but Anwen could have removed his London command authority.

The explanation added to the confusion. “Deactivate alarms.” The noise ceased.

“Open com.” The computer chimed. “What is going on?”

“Jack.” Gwen sounded hesitant. The computer then initiated a medical scan. “Please come up to the conference room.”

 

** Torchwood Nova Scotia; Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada **

Luc Sarkisian sat next to Kailen at a workstation. While Aman went to meet Eryn at the mall, and bring her back safely, they were working on identifying the stalker. His immediate reaction was for him to go. He knew the area and law enforcement, if there was additional problems. But Aman was right, he was the better choice. Luc wanted to break the man.

The situation did make him wonder. After Beaupre, their attitude toward him and his interest in Eryn changed. The overprotective, male chauvinist routines had been replaced with something he hadn’t figured out yet. He didn’t know what to think. Eryn even asked about it. They wouldn’t explain it to her either.

“We have facial rec.” Kailen sounded concerned.

It felt weird sitting back and having someone else do the work. Kailen was better at hacking and remote accessing law enforcement databases.

“Valente Canas. Interpol has him listed as an information broker based in Beunos Aires. Known associates include Bashiri Oliveira, Erik Basanjo and Ronald Beaupre.” Kailen motioned at the screen. “Aman was born in Brazil. His father was a hitman or something. He moved to South Africa when Aman was young and changed their first names.”

“Compile a list of known associates. Oliveira, Basanjo and Beaupre.” What came to mind was out there, but not impossible. There were stories of the CIA working with criminals and committing crimes. Beaupre’s Torchwood black ops sounded like conspiracy theories about the CIA. Spies were not something he had to deal with previously. “Check what South American law enforcement agencies have on  Oliveira before South Africa.”

“What are you thinking?”

“A South American hitman moved to South Africa and took over a major organized crime organization. He had to have contacts and a damn good reason.”

“We need to figure out what Beaupre wanted in Nova Scotia.”


	8. Chapter 8

** Torchwood Four; Dublin, Ireland **

John Hart woke with a major headache. The swirl of images in his head felt like someone took a blender to his memory. The clearest picture he had involved repairing one of Torchwood’s Roombas. Which didn’t help him figure out what year it was.

“Where am I?” Younger Anwen meant he was probably in 2020. “Computer, activate lights.”

Emergency lighting bathed the room in red. It looked like a storage room for one of the older facilities. The debris said it hadn’t been used in a long time. Pending they were in 2020, and the right time line, it wasn’t Torchwood Three.

A sudden image of a mall trip and two kids made him wonder. It wasn’t his memory. “ Teleri’s a brat, Wynne.” It had to be Anwen’s memory. The girls must be her friends from the Academy. 

“Computer, command authorization Anwen Williams.”

The computer took longer than it should have to beep. 

“Computer, contact Torchwood Three.”

“External communications are nonfunctional.”

“Computer, run systems diagnostics.” She stood up. “We need to get to an access panel. If we have an internal map, we can figure out which Torchwood facility we’re in.”

John stood and followed her. When he met her, she sounded like a smart kid. The composure and tactical awareness was blamed on having to grow up fast. He wondered if there was a lot more to it as she pried open a malfunctioning panel. 

When she swore in a language he understood, and she would have never encountered, he realized they were connected. If he was having memories of her friends, she could have some of his memories. The older version of her had technical skills beyond the first Anwen he met, but hadn’t shown any indication of a connection. The CN exposure and portal malfunction must have done more than he originally thought.

“I don’t know how to fix this.” She hit the wall with the side of her fist.

“Darling.” He wasn’t sure how to explain the situation. 

Anwen flipped open her wrist-strap and entered instructions manually. “It’s a time distortion. The CN disrupted chronons and Rift energy. The facility must have been trapped in temporal flux.”

John chuckled, he couldn’t help it. “Anwen, darling. What does ‘temporal flux’ mean?”

“What?” She turned and looked at him.

“The CN and Rift energy messed with our memories.” He explained the best he could.

Anwen hesitated. “I know.”

“What did you see?”

“A sunset in a garden with the Anwen you proposed to. Pieces of a Christmas party.” She closed her eyes. “And Uncle Jack. I didn’t need to know that.”

He hoped she was only getting innocent memories. 

“The wrist-strap. It belonged to me in two time lines. Its almost identical to yours.” She met his eyes. “Is it an exact copy?”

“Yeah.” He modified it for her.

“We must have disrupted time. The energy surge must have impacted something else that disrupted time.”

It sounded like she was using her logic and his knowledge.

“We’re in Torchwood Four,” Anwen concluded

 

Torchwood Three

Jack Harkness entered the conference room. The general was standing at the far side of the table wearing his clothes. Gwen walked over and gave him a hug. Bree looked at him nervously.

“What happened?”

“CN overdose. You flirted with the furniture and made an effort to pick every lock in the hub for six days,” the general commented.

Jack rubbed his face. “Cattrel Industries?”

“Yeah.” Gwen set her head on his shoulder.

“You and John were trapped in a shared or similar memory of some kind,” Bree said. “It had to involve improvising tools to disable locks.”

“I found John and Anwen.” The general sounded puzzled. “The mainframe logged Anwen claiming command authority of Torchwood Four.”

“I thought Four was missing,” Gwen said.

“It went online minutes after the alarm sounded.” The general paused. “Torchwood Three recognizes it, but can’t connect.”

Ianto entered the conference room. Baby Trefor was crying, kicking and hitting him. Ianto handed him to Gwen. 

“You’re better?” Ianto asked.

“Yeah.” Jack hugged him.

Ianto held Jack and glared and the general. “Trefor gets to explain why he didn’t tell us he’s connected to the Rift and his sister.” 

“Don’t know what you mean.”

“The version of you that’s not an arse started screaming before the alarm went off. He can sense Anwen.” Jack held onto Ianto. “That makes him an abduction risk.”

“No, it doesn’t.”

Jack held up his free hand. “Gwen, we know where Anwen is. We will get her back. Go with Bree up to my office. If we don’t have any immediate concerns, I need a summary of what I’ve missed,” he said. “Pass me Trefor.”

He waited until the door closed behind them, and kissed Ianto. “Have you had enough sleep to drive?”

“Yeah.”

“Will you run home?” 

Ianto nodded. “Clothes, boots.” He pushed up his sleeve, revealing Jack’s wrist-strap and quickly removed it. “He’s wearing your winter boots.”

“Thank you.”

Jack sat across the table from the older version of his son after Ianto left with the younger version on his lap. “Anwen has told me more than once that the baby senses Rift energy. I figured you would tell me at some point.”

“I didn’t want to worry mum.”

“Can you control the Rift?”

“No. I can sense chronons and Rift energy and detonate threats.”

“Detonate?”

“Yeah.” 

“Which means you can sense the energy?” Jack stared at his son. “A space fleet commander who can sense enemy ships.”

“Ships, aliens, debris.” The general kept his eyes on the table. 

“Why didn’t you tell us?”

The general looked up. It was like looking at himself in the mirror. “Do you have any idea how many people, aliens, creatures that means I have killed in defense of this planet? I’m not Miriam. Or Luc. I don’t wade through bodies and wipe off blood without a second thought.”

“You’re like me. You remember everything you kill.”

“Yeah, I’m like you. I view sex like a parlor game. I couldn’t maintain a healthy, intimate relationship if my life depended on it.” He balled his fist. “And I have completely buggered ethics and morals.” Tears welled in his eyes. “Do you have any idea what baby Trefor is facing? Rhys stopped being able to handle it when I really started looking like you. I was still in primary school. Mum tried to get through to me as a teenager, but her own issues with fidelity and buggered coping mechanisms didn’t help. Anwen is the only reason I didn’t wind up an alcoholic or an addict.”

Which explains why he hated John, and Anwen didn’t.

 

Gwen Cooper sat at the conference table next to Jack. When they were unable to contact Torchwood Four, Jack found a way to contact John and Anwen via wrist-strap. She wasn’t sure what had happened, but the general had insisted he needed time and took off. Jack wouldn’t answer her questions.

“Anwen.”

“I’m okay. We found a couple maintenance bots that aren’t as cool as the Roombas. If we can get them working, we can repair the building. John thinks the damage to the main power source caused the temporal displacement.”

“Does John know who you are?”

“Yeah.” Anwen’s tone said she was hiding something.

“What happened?”

“Nothing.”

“Anwen Williams, what happened?”

“John’s memory problems and my epic tantrum.” She hesitated and then explain the memory exchange. 

“Is John there?” Jack asked.

“I have to agree with Anwen about the wrist-straps. If it’s the same for you and the general, it might be hard to tell, if you’re exchanging personality traits and not memories.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Whitchurch Hospital; Cardiff, Wales**

**Monday, February 25, 2020**

Gwen Cooper returned to the familiar hospital. She’d been there any number of times since she started working for Torchwood. But she couldn’t help remembering the day Anwen was brought in by ambulance. Getting her home this time wouldn’t be as easy. She had to trust John Hart to take care of her daughter.

“I can do this,” Bree assured.

“I’m good.”

“No. You’re worried about your children. Interviewing sick kids while worrying about yours is not a good idea.”

“I have to do something.”

“Did you talk to Luc about the problem with Four?”

“I listened. Jack talked to him.” A beat. “I didn’t understand it.”

Bree waited a moment. “I will listen. You need to talk it out.”

“I’d rather punch something.” It would be nice to have someone she could confide in. Time would tell if she could really trust Bree.

Her mobile chimed with a text message. She wondered if Rhys was checking in. _Hi, mum. Dublin is beautiful this time of year. You don’t have to worry. Just a few matches. Running with scissors got boring._ Gwen laughed.

“Gwen?”

She showed Bree the message.

“It gets easier. After a few months, nothing is ever weird again.” Although, her daughter’s relationship with Jack’s ex would always be weird.

Gwen held her credentials for a nurse. “Gwen Cooper, Torchwood. I need to speak with Molly Elias.”

The nurse gave directions.

“Thanks.”

Bree said as they walked away from the nurse’s station. “The stress is getting to you.”

“I know.”

Gwen knocked on the door. She turned the knob and stepped into the room. Molly had company. It took a moment to realize she recognized him.

“Malcolm Dove.”

He was sitting in a chair next to the bed. He stood.

Gwen made introductions. “Dr. Nelson will ask you some questions.” She looked at Malcolm. “Can I talk to you?” She motioned toward the hallway.

“You’re suppose to be in Ireland.”

Malcolm held out his hands. “No choice. My parents found a loophole in my trust fund. If I was declared incompetent, they could get their hands on my money.”

“Was it resolved?”

“Yeah.”

“You need to go back.”

“I will. Molly is being discharged. She’s going back to Ireland with me.”

“How do you know her?”

“School. We were taking advanced science courses our freshman year. Her parents are divorced and almost as bad as mine. I already found a good school to redo our senior year.”

“That makes you look guilty.”

“No. It makes Eddie Cattrel guilty.” Malcolm shook his head. “I don’t know what his deal is. All of those kids that bullied me, bullied him. I told him Linnet asked me on a date. He was mad.” He exhaled sharply. “I didn’t see it until Rodger and Molly landed in the hospital. Rodger is an athlete. He can play any sport he’s ever tried and as far as he’s concerned, any guy that doesn’t excel at sports is gay. A drug scandal would cost him his scholarships. But Molly, she’s a nerd. The people who got hurt bullied her to. The only difference is Eddie. She didn’t want me to move in with his family. She wanted nothing to do with him.”

Which made sense. She would run it passed Luc. He’d met with Malcolm and understood teenagers better than she did. But it did leave one question. “Why is your social media fake?”

“What?”

“Your social profiles online are fake. Why?”

“Luc.” Malcolm sighed. “My parents have been looking for a way around my trust fund for years. When I was thirteen, and allowed to have Internet accounts, I started looking up stories about miracles and other people who had strange experiences. My parents took me to a psychiatrist.”

“You have two sisters?” Gwen wondered if she needed to call social services.

“Nessa and Jeannette. Nessa testified against my parents in the competency hearing. She’s going to try for custody of Jeannette. My father has a sister Colina that hates him. If Nessa can’t get custody, that’s plan B.”

 

Gwen stepped down the hall. “Andy, did the police locate Eddie Cattrel? His parents were involved in Cattrel Industries and the new crater in town.”

“Yeah.” Andy hesitated. “We found him.”

“What happened?”

“The big dragon didn’t breath fire. Right?”

“No.” That wasn’t a question she expected from Andy.

“Human remains were found in Eddie Cattrel’s car. It looks like a giant fireball hit it.”

“When?”

“Two hours ago. DC Cowley said he needed more information before considering calling Torchwood.”

“Next time, send me a text message.”

“I could get suspended.”

“Is Dr. Floyd involved?”

“She is now. She arrived a few minutes ago.”

“Thanks.”

 

**Torchwood Three**

Ianto Jones was in his office preparing to order more supplies. Jack suggested a couple days off. He couldn’t picture Jack watching the baby and dealing with the general. Once they had a com connection between Three and Four, Anwen could talk to her brother and as expected, he calmed down. He sat on the floor in the playpen building block towers and babbling to Anwen.

“Anyone there?” Gwen said over the ear com.

“Yep.”

“I thought you had the day off.”

“Too much to do.”

“I sent Jack details on a crime scene. DC Cowley took effort to keep us from noticing the case.”

“I will check the search criteria for the police database.”

“Do a search on Malcolm Dove’s family. Anyone born in or near Cardiff.”

“Give me a moment.” Ianto quickly used a dedicated laptop for a search. “Colina Dove, Malcom’s aunt, and both sisters: Nessa and Jeannette.”

“The sisters attend private school?”

“Yep. Ms. Dove is a spiritual consultant and owns her own business.”

“Send me the address and details.”

That was easy enough. “Sent.”

“Have the general talk to Nessa, the older sister. She could be targeted by the people who abducted Payton Borthwick.”

“Will do.”

“How’s Trefor doing?”

Ianto looked over at him. “Good. He has an open com to Torchwood Four.”

“Thanks. I owe you. A lot.”

“Not a problem.” The call ended.

Ianto tapped his ear comm off. He tapped the intercom button. “Gwen called. I am sending details. Welfare check and assessment connected to two separate cases.”

“You’re in charge now?” The general sounded amused.

“Yep. Office management and babysitting. Same job.” He disconnected the intercom.


	10. Chapter 10

** Pontcanna; Cardiff, Wales **

Jack Harkness parked the Torchwood van behind the police barricade. Police cars, a fire engine, and a morgue vehicle represented emergency services. From what Ianto could find from the police database, DC Cowley intentionally kept the information mundane to keep it from catching their attention. There could be any number of reasons. Most likely, it involved control.

With that in mind, he contacted Dr. Guenevere Floyd and she invited him to the scene. After the Baughn situation, he suspected he would have gotten a phone call at some point.

“I have a question,” she said as he walked up beside her. “I called on Saturday. Who did I talk to?”

“A co-worker.”

“Right.” Floyd shook her head. “Your  co-worker needs to work on his impersonation skills. He’s younger, angrier and Welsh. The accent was good.”

Jack smiled. “He’ll be happy to know someone thinks he can’t pass for me.”

“I didn’t know you had children.”

“None that claim me,” Jack said. “What’s the situation?”

“The fire chief has no idea.” She walked to the far side walk and motioned at the car. “From the scorching, the car was broadsided by a fireball.”

He followed, looking around. Nothing else in the area was scorched. No possible sources. “I heard a rumor the DC didn’t want to call Torchwood.”

“Another idiot child.” Floyd motioned around them. “There is no industry in this area. The only thing I could remotely guess is ball lightening. No storm. And it would have had to really dislike the occupant of that car.”

“CCTV footage?”

“The ball lightening doesn’t like cameras either.”

Alien, alien device and freak accident were on the short list. If it was Eddie Cattrel, that suggested a connection to CN, and Rift abilities. Payton Borthwick had some type of telekinetic ability as Anwen displayed briefly. The general said he could detonate certain types of energy. He had to consider the possibility Eddie, or his parents, crossed the wrong person. Unlike Borthwick, the fireball was controlled.

Jack tapped his ear com. “Whose listening.”

“What do you need?” Ianto asked. He sounded tired.

“The CCTV cameras around the Pontcanna scene were disabled. We need what area footage there is. Malcolm Dove was at the hospital this morning. I need to know where he was when those cameras were disabled.”

“The kid who survived the toxic mushrooms?” Dr. Floyd asked.

“Yeah.” 

“You think he did this?”

“No. I need to be sure. Torchwood run blood, tox and DNA tests on the victim. With photographs and skull measurements, we can do a facial reconstruction.”

“You didn’t find a doctor.”

“Not yet.”

“I will send the list to Mrs. Williams.”

Jack made an unhappy sound.

Dr. Floyd laughed.

“What could be funny about this?” DC Cowley asked, walking over to them.

“Not a thing, Detective Constable.” The humor faded from her tone. “Captain Jack Harkness, DC Cowley. It took me two hours to get here, Cowley, Torchwood should have been called much sooner.”

“We have not ruled out mundane causes.”

Dr. Floyd took a moment. “I don’t know what this is about.” She motioned at the car. “That vehicle was hit by a fireball with no plausible source. The chief fire officer knew that immediately. As did the rookie firefighter with the first fire engine and the green constable you have with you.”

“It was not your call to make.”

“Yes, Cowley, it was. You didn’t do your job. I did mine.” Floyd walked away from them.

“This is still my case.”

“Are you familiar with the Red Dragon Centre situation?”

“Yeah. Torchwood took the suspect and damaged the evidence.”

Jack focused on remembering what the general said about the situation. “The evidence? We repaired the structural damage to prevent the building from collapsing.” Not to mention the highway tunnel next to it, and Torchwood beyond that. 

“Bollocks.”

Jack wondered if there was any point to try. “This is still a Torchwood case.”

 

** Dove’s Willow Tree; Cardiff, Wales **

Gwen Cooper lead through the stylish, carved wood door into a storefront with both retail displays and office furniture. The walls were painted with impressive willow trees. Bowls of crystals sat in various places. It smelled of earthy incense. Two large cats were curled up in a corner.

A small, brunette in her forties approached with an odd expression. “I am Colina. How may I help you?”

“Gwen Cooper, Dr. Bree Nelson. We’re with Torchwood. We need to ask you a few questions.”

“Please have a seat. Can I get you tea or coffee?”

“No thank you,” Bree said.

Colina lead them back to a small table. She sat and motioned toward chairs across from her. They sat.

“I spoke with Malcolm this morning. It occurred to me that what happened with the drug, and his immunity, could draw the wrong kind of attention.”

“I see.”

Gwen suspected the woman knew what she was going to say. “We believe Malcolm’s immunity is genetic.”

“What are you trying to ask, Ms. Cooper?”

“Do psychic-like abilities, of any kind, run in your family?”

“I don’t read crystal balls or tea leaves, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“No, ma’am,” Bree said. “It’s an actual genetic difference associated with certain people born in Cardiff. If active, it would look like a psychic ability.”

“The Red Dragon Centre.”

“Yes. We believe that man was a victim of research, and targeted because of genetic information he unknowingly provided.” 

Colina Dove hesitated. “I can calm people and animals. It’s an ability that runs in the family. Have you spoken to my brother?”

“No.”

“He doesn’t believe in it. Our mother, two aunts, and our grandmother had similar abilities. To him, it’s a mental illness.”

Gwen wondered if that had something to do with the trust funds. “Is that why Malcolm chose medicine?”

“No.”

“Your nephew has a Torchwood file. The investigator opened it when he was eight. She suspected the family was keeping secrets.”

“My nephew is touched by the Otherworld, Ms. Cooper.” One of the cats suddenly jumped on the table. Colina absently petted it. “He died for three minutes, as a child, and didn’t come back from the Otherworld alone.”


	11. Chapter 11

** Coffi Chwerthinllyd; Cardiff, Wales **

General Trefor Williams tracked Nessa Dove using social media. She stopped for coffee between classes. He remembered the small shop from his chance encounter with Cory Lynch which resulted in his father finding out about him sooner than he intended.

He hurried into line behind Nessa. He recognized her from her online photographs. With Jack back in the field, he opted for casual clothes and drove Ianto’s car. It meant he could blend.

“Any suggestions?” Trefor removed his sunglasses.

“Is that the best you can come up with?”

“Points for trying?”

Nessa laughed. “Possibly.” She looked back at him. “Does tall, dark and dangerous have bad intentions?”

“Not currently.”

“Sneaky or honest.”

“I’ve been called worse.”

That amused her more. “I bet you have. You’re a heart-breaker.”

“Still didn’t answer my original question.”

She nodded. “A military guy. Likes his coffee dark and strong.” She paused at the counter while they ordered. “What are you really doing here?”

“Torchwood,” he said quietly. “There is a possibly security concern.” 

Nessa motioned for him to follow after they received their coffee and she lead him to a table in the back of the seating area.

“Is this about Malcolm?” She sat, offering his a chair with its back to the wall.

“Yeah.” Trefor explained about the genetic issue.

“My family has an ability. It varies a bit from woman to woman. My brother doesn’t have it.” She reached out and lightly ran the tips of her fingers over the back of his hand. “Lost. Used to power but feeling powerless. You hate your father so much, you hate yourself.” She lingered on his wrist above his wrist-strap briefly.

“You knew when I walked in.”

Her eyes sparkled as she sipped her coffee. 

“We’re concerned your family could be targeted. Malcolm’s immunity to the drug is widely known.”

“The women of my family have been targets a long time. Healers, seers, witches. We’ve been accused of crimes against  the Church and general patriarchy for generations.” Nessa reached for his hand again. “You’re not afraid of strong women, are you?” Her finger tips tingled.

“Mixing business and pleasure is a bad idea.”

She laughed. “You’ve been working to hard. To many expectations and obligations.”

“I need to go.” Trefor stood.

She grabbed a napkin and a pen. “Give me a call.”

Trefor exhaled sharply, stepping into the cold. The woman was intoxicating. And too young, he reminded himself, heading for the car. He had more than ten years and a million miles on her. Yet, he tucked her phone number in his pocket, and told himself he might need to call her. 

It had been way to long. He’d given in to the temptation Miriam offered. That had been a bad idea. She needed to work things out with Thomas. From the woman he knew, in his time, that was a major effort. He would check out clubs. Finding someone uncomplicated was never a problem.

No matter the logic, Nessa stayed in the forefront of his mind as he headed back to Torchwood.

 

**Torchwood Three**

A block impacted, and sizzle, disrupted his thoughts. Ianto Jones moved over to the playpen and picked up Trefor and the com. Trefor demanded his sister. He wasn’t screaming, Ianto reminded himself. Anwen keeps one of her stuffed horses in a drawer. Either for Trefor or something to do with John. Or both. Trefor gripped the horse and settled down some.

“Did the com die?” Ianto headed back to his desk.

“No.” John sounded tired. “Anwen is fixated on repairing the computer. You said Jack and I were obsessed with locks? Did we say anything to indicate why?”

“No.”

“Why am I wearing work clothes and no shoes?”

Ianto explained about Jack and biometric scanner as he sat down, balancing Trefor on his lap.

“Oh, dear. Dr. Nelson’s theory was a shared memory?”

“Yep.”

“I doubt it,” John said.

“Is Anwen dissociated?” 

“No. She has my temper and random knowledge.”

“How’s it affecting you?”

“I’m confiding in you, eye candy. What do you think?”

Ianto chuckled. “Do you want me to keep the com open?” The connection closed.

Trefor whimpered. 

“Anwen’s fine.” He hoped that was true. 

“Computer, play Anwen playlist one.” The Monkees’ theme song started. And Trefor mellowed.

Back to inventory and supplies. Which lasted until a notification chimed and blinked on the screen. They had a message from the website Bree established asking for information about people growing mushrooms. They’d received a few reports, and found no eggs, only a few pot plants. 

“I hope this still works. Its not about mushrooms. Not exactly. Eddie Cattrel died because he hurt the others. I can’t get involved. School, scholarships. I screwed up this year and my parents will kill me.”

Ianto groaned. Logic from a teenage girl. The email originated at the Whitchurch library. It didn’t take much to trace the account to Emlyn Rice, a seventeen year old girl. Which fit the message. Using her address, he checked the school where Malcolm and the other teenagers attended. She was a student and had classes with half of the kids affected by the drug, and Eddie Cattrel.

He tapped his ear com. “Gwen, are you there?”

“Yeah.”

Ianto explained the message and the information. 

“We need CCTV footage confirmation that Emlyn Rice sent that email. Bree and I will handle that.”

“Send Jack an update.”

“Will do.”

With that done, he turned back to inventory. When he finished with Torchwood, he was behind with the building. Supplies, maintenance, planning. A reminder to have the brake pads on the Torchwood van replaced reminded him his car and Gwen’s needed maintenance also. They needed a doctor and a mechanic.

The com beeped. He tapped it. “Anwen?”

“No. I know what the issue with the locks and Anwen with the computer,” John said.

“What?”

“Anwen is trying to get back to Trefor. She can’t do it herself, so she’s using the connection and my memories.”

Ianto could see that. “And the locks?”

“Jack and I were probably exposed at Cattrel Industries. He heals. I have a tolerance.” John sighs. “It’s not locks, it’s freedom. I was preparing to leave. When our wires got crossed, it probably affected all four of us.”

Jack came out of it when Anwen and John left Three. But that meant Jack and the general were affected. 


	12. Chapter 12

** Whitchurch Library; Cardiff, Wales **

Gwen Cooper eyed the CCTV footage in the security room. The girl seen accessing the computer was Emlyn Rice. Another girl, wearing the same type of school uniform, sat at the computer with her. None of the other after school crowd wore the same uniforms. According to the system, it was the only time Rice used their computer.

“I need a clear pictures of both girls.”

He nodded.

“Do you have cameras in the car park?” Gwen asked.

“Yeah.”

“I need a license plate.”

“Not the sharpest criminals.” The security guard smiled.

“It makes life easier.”

“What did they do?”

“Questionable judgment.”

The guard laugh. “Slow day?”

“So far.”

He handed her the flash-drive back. “Good luck.”

 

Dr. Bree Nelson approached a librarian, showed her credentials and quietly introduced herself. 

“I was wondering if you remembered this girl?” Bree presented the picture Ianto sent her. 

“Maybe.”

“She came in to use one of the computers.”

The librarian stared at the picture, thinking. “She was with another girl. Fancy school uniforms.”

“Did they do or say anything unusual?”

“What is this about?”

“She sent inaccurate information to Torchwood.”

“I don’t know about that. They asked about the computers. They were nervous. The other girl asked about the privacy policy.”

“Did they talk to anyone else or seem to know anyone here?”

“Not that I saw.”

“Thank you.”

 

Gwen Cooper met with Bree and headed into the parking lot. The question was what to do next. Interviewing minors was complicated. Minors with family money meant solicitors and complications. If the information was accurate, they knew the person who killed Eddie. The killer was connected to one or more of the people Eddie hurt or killed.

“Anything?” Gwen asked after they returned to the car.

“Nervous behavior. A question about the privacy policy.”

Gwen nodded. “It was the first time Emlyn used the computer here.”

“Two girls want to make a report. They use a library where no one knows them and think its anonymous.”

“It looks legit.” Gwen started the car.

“Family, friend, boy- or girlfriend.”

Gwen backed the car up. “Born in Cardiff. If we understand this, the person is a half-brother or sister or not related.”

“How did they know Eddie did it?”

“Possibly the same way Malcolm did.” Gwen headed back to Torchwood. “Molly Elias.”

“How many people knew Molly didn’t like Eddie?”

Gwen handed Bree her phone. “Call Malcolm on speaker.”

“I’m leaving.”

“Good. I have a couple more questions. You said you suspected Eddie because of the attack on Molly. Was it common knowledge that Molly didn’t like Eddie?”

“For those who cared. Why?”

“Where are you?” Gwen asked.

“Preparing to board the ferry, why?”

“You’re not driving?”

“No. What happened?”

“We believe Eddie’s dead. A body was found in his car. The circumstances are bizarre and extreme,” Gwen explained. “We have reason to believe the person who killed Eddie was retaliating for the toxic mushrooms.”

Malcolm exhaled. “You think they know the same people I know.”

“Yeah. Can you send me a list of people who knew Eddie and Molly well enough to come to the same conclusion?”

“My friends.”

Gwen hesitated. “Malcolm, the person who killed Eddie is dangerous and out of control. We’re not looking to make lives difficult or a scapegoat. If we don’t get this person off the street, more people are going to die.”

“I will make the list. But if you think one of my friends killed Eddie over that party, there is a problem. My friends didn’t like anyone at the party. I went because of Linnet.”

“Eddie was interested in Linnet.”

“Irrational crushes.” Malcolm wasn’t buying it. “Cath Eynon. She thinks Rodger is the Welsh Adonis.” He hesitated. “Cath couldn’t kill anyone.”

“Thank you. Have a safe trip with Molly.”

“Be careful with Cath, please.” The call ended.

“Malcolm and his friends were bullied. No one gets hurt. Eddie gets jealous of his closest friend and poisons fifteen people. He’s crazy enough to poison fifteen people but smart enough to pin it on Malcolm. Somehow he knew Malcolm was immune when Malcolm reportedly didn’t know.”

“Eddie parents may have known.”

“Another teenager is capable of homicide. By fire. Arsonists like fire, but intentional homicide is something else. It wouldn’t be an isolated event. Private schools will go to lengths to keep secrets. I don’t even know how they’d manage to hide that.”

Gwen didn’t know how to explain. “We’re not looking at an arsonist. We’re looking for a teenager that created a fireball using a type of energy from space.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Payton Borthwick destabilized a building with a type of telekinetic ability,” Gwen explained.

“You think Eddie was killed by a psychic fireball?”

“Yeah.”

“So a teenager got so angry, he or she acted impulsively. Or intentionally. It still comes down to isolated violence.”

“Maybe he or she didn’t know it was possible.”

“A person accidentally murders someone. That’s obvious to.”


	13. Chapter 13

** Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales **

Jack Harkness knew he waited enough time. With a fireball possibly connected to Rift abilities and CN, they needed answers. They didn’t have a lot of options. Payton Borthwick was still sedated. They couldn’t wake him until the CN was purged. Nanogenes didn’t work. With so many variables, and unknowns, they couldn’t risk trial and error.

Torchwood rarely had human prisoners. Given Derrian Talbot’s history with Torchwood, and the numerous problems with him, John and locks, Derrian had been housed in a secured area for hard-to-manage aliens. Shooting the general hadn’t made him popular. The suicide prevention tactics were extreme.

Jack entered the adjacent room. As expected, Derrian sat on a raised cot bonded to the floor. He looked much older, grayer and harder. The butler image long since faded, leaving a career military man who had seen more than his share of horror. 

An impressive transparent wall separated observation from the cell. Jack activated the intercom and pulled a chair up. “I don’t know where to start.”

Derrian stood and approached the wall. “How did I not know you have a thirty year-old son? He said you worked with his mother.”

“It’s complicated.”

“I know who you were working with thirty and thirty-five years ago.”

“He’s from the future.”

“Complicated.”

Jack rested his arms on the back of the chair. “You wanted to talk about Beaupre?”

“Yeah. Ron was shot.” Derrian paused. “Torchwood Three hacked CCTV and tracked him movements using facial recognition.”

“Hacked through Torchwood Three. Another active office took him out.”

“Nova Scotia? The Arctic Observatory is inactive. The Falklands has a librarian.” Derrian thought about it. “Luc found out Ron screwed up an intel grab three years ago and got his mother killed.” He shook his head. “A bullet to the head is cold for that kid. I figured he might beat Ron to death.”

“Luc restaffed.”

“With who?” Derrian laughed and he wasn’t amused. “That’s where Oliveira and the twins went after the botched attempt on Eryn. Do you have any idea what Oliveira is capable of?”

“Yeah. He’s going to be the head of Torchwood Nigeria at some point. Another ten or fifteen years.”

“You know that for sure?”

Jack nodded. 

Derrian rubbed his face. 

“You thought I killed Beaupre?” 

“Yeah. Between you and Cooper, it made the most sense. How did you rebuild this place?”

“It rebuilt itself.” A ridiculous explanation that might work. 

Derrian hesitated. “And Ianto? How did you manage that?”

“Did you come here to interrogate me?”

“No. I thought you might understand. You’re no more angel than I am.”

“My sins don’t include torturing and enslaving sentient creatures to produce drugs.”

“Sentient?”

“The pissed off adult dragon that attacked Cattrel, it showed all the indications of sentience.”

“They are dumb animals.”

“Derrian, it left emergency workers alone and killed building security. It realized we were attacking the building, and helped us.” Jack gave that a moment to set in. “It knew the difference.”

“No.”

“Why would an adult creature attack a building holding captives but not go after eggs? The drug producers weren’t breeding enslaved dragons. When the eggs hatched, the healthy hatchlings were released or escaped. No harm. No foul,” Jack explained. “The creature had to know the difference.”

Derrian shook his head. “That’s insane.”

“It attacked that building with the sole purpose of freeing the others. The females lay eggs and leave. The eggs hatch and the young fly for the Rift. No maternal connection. Why would an adult show up, reveal itself for the first time and risk injury unless the juveniles sent out an SOS?”

“No self-awareness. No tool usage. No indication of higher intelligence.”

“Play dumb, watch and wait.”

“There was nothing in any assessment I read. Nothing. Ruthie thought they were dumb animals.”

“What did you expect from me?” Jack asked. “Sorry I faked my own death, old friend. Sorry I didn’t show up when the government blew up the hub with you in it.”

“By the time I found out about that, your team had already freed you. I wasn’t in the country.”

“Where were you for Miracle Day?”

“The Falklands with Woodside trying to figure out what the fuck was going on.” Derrian set a hand on the wall between them. “Are you mad at me because you were shorthanded? Or because I wasn’t there for you.” He paused. “You’re a petty son-of-a-bitch.”

“I almost died in Shanghai. Permanently.”

“I didn’t know.”

“Whose the son-of-a-bitch? You lied to me. You kept Janne a secret, for years, to play head games. When I thought you died, I saw to your wife and son. I found out Janne knew you were alive the same time I found out you were. In retrospect, she knew about us. She never asked one question. We cried together. She waved Langford at me. Doesn’t he look like his daddy?”

“What are you going to do?” Derrian asked.

“I don’t know. Your crimes against me are the least of it.”

“I barely grazed him.”

“Is there any war crime you haven’t committed?”

“You’re being self-righteous to me? You’re been at this a lot longer than I have.” Derrian paused. “You killed your own grandson to take out the 456 in retaliation for killing Ianto. What right do you have to judge me?”

Tears welled in Jack’s eyes. “I sacrificed one child to save millions.”

“How much of your soul did you sell to get Ianto back?”

Jack stood, tears running down his face. “If you want any consideration at all, we need to know everything about CN and the Rift ability research. Data, locations, anymore unwilling research subjects, regardless if they’re human or alien.”

“I had nothing to do with human experimentation. Part of my family was targeted by the Nazis in WWII.”

“Will Janne or Langford be able to tell me?”

“You leave them out of this, Jack. My son doesn’t even know I’m alive.”

“What was the point of enslaving the dragons if you didn’t want CN?”

“It’s an interrogation drug.”

“Which you sold to a human-trafficker in South Africa.”

“No.” Derrian shook his head. “I’ve been in the Falklands with Woodside for years. I came back because of the attack on Eryn and Luc. Beaupre was out of control.”

“Convenient, blame the dead man.”

Talbot raised his arms. “Kill me and get it over with.”

“Not until you have given us everything on Beaupre.”


	14. Chapter 14

** Nessa Dove’s flat; Cardiff, Wales **

General Trefor Williams questioned his sanity as he sat in Ianto’s car. He had no one else to ask. He didn’t know Nessa well enough to trust her. Unable to think of a better option, he removed the napkin from his pocket and dialed her number.

“Hello.”

“Nessa, uh…”

“Thought you were afraid of me, gorgeous.”

“I need your help.”

“What’s wrong.”

“I don’t know.”

“Where are you?”

He hesitated. How could he tell her he downstairs?

“Do you want my help?”

He needed it. “I’m in the car park.”

“I will meet you at the door.” She hung up.

Emotions rolled through him as he climbed out of the car. Anger and pain and betrayal. He had no idea where it was coming from. It physically hurt by the time he reached door. Nessa held it open for him.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know.”

Nessa took his hand. “The emotional turmoil is a lot worse than earlier.”

“I’m not like this.”

“Come upstairs.” She twined their fingers together.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

“A beautiful woman invites you upstairs, and you argue?”

“Not usually.”

Nessa laughed. “That’s more like it, gorgeous.”

She had a corner apartment on the third floor. “Since I’ve lured you into my lair.” She closed the door behind them. “Do I at least get your name?”

“Trefor.”

“Sit in the big armchair.” She motioned toward the main room. “I will be right back.”

The turmoil was building, causing a major headache. Resigned, he crossed the room and sat in the overstuffed chair. The uncertainty added to the pain. 

Nessa returned with a bowl of crystals and set it on the end table next to the chair. Without a word, she climbed onto his lap, placing a knee on either side of his hips. She sat back, resting her weight closer to his knees. Then she slid his sunglasses off and set them on the table.

“I seriously doubt I am the first woman you’ve had on your lap.”

“No.”

“The easiest way to do this is skin contact.” She looked in his eyes. “Humor aside, are you usually uneasy around women?”

“No.”

She reached back and lifted her shirt. “Hands on my back above my waist.”

He suddenly realized why he was reluctant. It made no more sense than anything else. He pressed his hands to her skin. The arousal made it worse. “Guilt.”

“Yeah.” She ran her hands through his hair. “It’s not yours.” 

He’d been emotionally unstable since returning to Cardiff. The outburst at his father had been so far from normal, he’d avoided thinking about it. He would have to say something to Jack at some point.

“I don’t recognize the type of energy, but you’re connected to someone. He’s older, a lot older, and more emotional.”

“My father.” He had no idea how that was possible. It explained a few things. 

“Close your eyes. Focus on me.” Nessa massaged his scalp with her fingers. 

Easier said than done. The guilt felt like an increasing weight. 

“Is your father in a committed relationship?”

“Yeah.”

“The guilt is his, not yours. Let it go.”

He didn’t know how.

“Pending you’re not interested in his girlfriend.” When he started chuckling, she amended, “Boyfriend. Picture him.”

The image of Ianto was vividly clear. The physical reaction was immediate. Nessa leaned in and kissed him. As the image faded, the guilt lifted. The shift was unnerving. The swirl of overwhelming emotions ended like a switch was thrown.

“Good to know I’m more exciting then your stepfather.”

That made him think of Rhys not Ianto. “Yeah.” He released her. “How do I thank you for kissing sense into me?”

She laughed, climbing off his lap. “That wasn’t my intention. I’ve seen some crazy things.” She headed for the kitchen. “How did you get emotionally linked to your father?”

He wondered that himself. “I’m not sure.” 

“Do you want something to drink?”

“I can’t.” He needed to get back to the office.

“Orange juice.” She walked back carrying two bottles, and handed him one.

“Thanks.”

“If I wasn’t convinced you were having a personal crisis, I’d invite you to bed.”

“Uh…”

Nessa laughed. “Trefor, from you’re energy, I’d say you’re the most open-minded man I’ve ever met. You can’t be shocked I find you attractive.”

No. It was the blatant honesty that hit him. Men were generally upfront. Women played games. “Can I blame my father?”

“For being gorgeous. I finally figured out why you look familiar.”

The general groaned.

She set the orange juice on the table and climbed back on his lap. “I’m guessing this is the actual problem.”

“Being manhandled by a beautiful women?”

“My family is the poster child for dysfunctional. My parents tried to have my brother declared incompetent for his money. When they realize that won’t work, they’ll target my sister next. Money means more to them than anything.” She twined their fingers again. “Do you know what I did to be free? My father made noise about my promiscuity being unhealthy. Do you know what psychiatrists look at when a teenage girl is preoccupied with sex? Incest. I told my father if he tried it, I would ruin him.” She shook her head. “How sick is that?”

“I can’t go into the specifics. Family secrets are…” Trefor sighed. “My mother is torn between two men. She loves my father who is incapable of settling down. Or I thought he was. And she loves her husband who has stood by her through an amazing amount of shit. This psycho alien bitch went on a rampage at my mother’s wedding. Her husband is this completely down-to-earth man. Who has followed her through a continual whirlwind of insanity my father drags her into.” It was the first time he’d really been able to talk about it. Talking to his sister had been different. “My father is this ridiculous hero. He’s survived the unimaginable, and done the unthinkable. Impossible shoes to fill without looking exactly like him.”

“And the boyfriend?”

“A very long story. My father says he loves him and has been trying to help him through some personal difficulties. He lives in my mother’s shadow.” Trefor shook his head. 

“Gorgeous, bi, and plagued by an epicly screwed up family. A male version of me.”

Trefor laughed. “Are you always this forward?”

“No. You incite mischief.”

He ran his free hand up her back. “I need to call in.”

“Maybe I should demand dinner first.”

“That would be saner.”


	15. Chapter 15

** Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales **

Jack Harkness went to the Millennium Center roof to clear his head. Derrian Talbot brought back memories that were to painful. When Ianto called, he returned to his office feeling old. There were some things he could never forgive himself for. Things no matter why he did them would haunt him forever.

“What happened?”

“Talbot reminded me.” Jack couldn’t meet Ianto’s eyes. Even Gwen didn’t know what he’d done that day. He’d used retcon on the witnesses. He’d done what he could for Alice. It was unforgivable. “I want you to stay away from him.”

Ianto held out his arm. “What could he possibly tell me, Jack?”

“There were things I did after you died.”

Ianto hugged him. “I know about Steven.”

“How?”

“Torchwood London. I went looking for information about how I died. Anwen gave me access.” Ianto held him. “The Anwen that sent John back figured it out. The fact that Alice was in protective custody, with no mention of Steven, and missing years of memory told me what happened. You sacrificed him to save millions of children.”

“I killed my grandson.”

“A child had to die. It was a horrific situation, Jack. There was no outcome where you didn’t have to live with doing the unthinkable.”

“That doesn’t justify what I did.”

Ianto propped his chin up and looked him in the eyes. “I didn’t get to Lisa in time. I kept a Cyberman and a conversion unit and convinced myself I could do something that wasn’t possible. Two people died. I endangered the planet having her in the hub because I couldn’t let my girlfriend go.”

Jack looked away, shaking his head.

“Torchwood is one crazed situation after another. Curiosity draws agents in. The adrenaline and power or whatever is akin to a drug. We can’t let it go. Most die young, horrible deaths. The few that do survive had a psychological breakdown before something could kill them.” Ianto paused. “You have been doing this for longer than anyone could possibly ask to protect a planet that has given you nothing. Except loss and pain and misery. There is no possible selfish incentive to keep you here.”

“Guilt.”

“You have nothing to feel guilty for. This planet is still here. Billions of people walk around every day with no idea that an immortal time traveler is the only reason they’re alive or free. You have outlived at least one spouse and numerous friends and lovers. And for what? An office filled with Weevils, bad memories, and impossible mold next to a highway tunnel and a block of flats.”

“I’m no hero.”

“Look at me.” Ianto slide his fingers over his face. “I was gone for ten years. Suddenly I’m back and broken. You could have given me retcon and/or placed me on the island with the Rift survivors. Cryo-stasis. I could be in protective custody tending a monastery somewhere and never known the difference.”

“I got you killed.”

“The ego and indestructibility that makes it possible for you to do what you do has consequences. I knew that. I knew being with you had a price. I would die young. After Lisa, I believed I wouldn’t have a family or children. I gave my life to Torchwood before I met you.” Tears welled in his eyes. “Here we are. Two fucked up people who have lived, died and come back. After everything, I have a boyfriend, a home and a family.”

Jack kissed him, and held on. Ianto’s acceptance didn’t lessen the pain. It made it bearable.

“What did you call about?” He asked finally.

“Inventory and purchase orders. Nothing important.”

The fact that Ianto didn’t have the baby finally registered. “Where’s Trefor?”

“With Gwen in the garden. Bree is checking school records and trying to find evidence of concealed psychiatric problems. The library tip might be legit,” Ianto said. “Anwen and John are still working on gaining control of Torchwood Four.”

“Is the general back yet?”

“No. He took the night off. I could hear a woman in the background when he called.” 

 

“Find anything?” Gwen Cooper walked into the conference room with Trefor. She set him and a stuff horse on the floor with his blocks.

“Possibly.” Bree sighed.

Gwen sat across from her. 

“Eddie Cattrel was born in Germany. From passport records and Cattrel company files, his mother relocated from Cardiff in her first trimester. She stayed until Eddie was four months old.”

“They knew about the Rift abilities.”

“I think so. Cattrel Industries in Wales specifically relocates pregnant employees to other European countries. The official reason is its less stressful duty. They get a boost in pay and impressive maternity leave outside of the UK.”

“What about Cath Eynon?”

“She was born in Cardiff to a family that has lived in Wales for generations. Her Facebook shows an interest in the paranormal and athletes.” Bree smiled. “At the time the CCTV cameras were damaged, Cath was with Rodger Taafe. According to a nurse at the hospital, she showed up after his injuries made the news, and camped at his bedside. Rodger’s father showed up and caused a scene. Drugs and scholarships. Cath is about five feet tall and a hundred pounds. Rodger’s father is a six foot something rugby player built like a wall. The nurse said Cath walked up to a man more than twice her size, called him a wanker and told him to bugger off.”

Gwen laughed. It made her think of Anwen. She needed to check on her daughter.

“I do have a possible suspect.” The amusement faded. “Jeannette Dove. Emotional, volatile, a family history of psychic abilities, and an anger that’s boiled over into rage. Her social media is pretty bad. Though, the kid has no more indication for arson and homicide then Eddie did for drugging and killing his classmates.” She paused. “Unless the deceased isn’t Eddie Cattrel.”

“Anything to support it.”

“No. No activity on his mobile, social media or any family account that wasn’t frozen. Ianto already checked.”

“Where is Jeannette Dove?”


	16. Chapter 16

** Nessa Dove’s flat; Cardiff, Wales **

** Tuesday, February 26, 2020 **

General Trefor Williams wondered what he had gotten himself into. Dinner at a restaurant turned into takeaway. They barely ate anything before they were kissing. Clothes and stress disappeared. Hours later, they cooled off in her bed. She was half laying on him. He had no idea which one of them opted for the sheet. Modesty was definitely not an issue.

“Seriously,” Nessa murmured. “You should be sleeping.”

He laughed, rubbing her back. 

“Do you ever stop worrying?”

“No. My life is usually one disaster, rampaging alien or family drama after another.”

“Career military?”

“Torchwood. A tangled mess of secrets.” Something occurred to him. “My older sister would have liked you. She’d get on my case, saying I shagged bimbos who chased me as a promotion strategy.”

“She died?”

“Yeah. It hasn’t been a year yet.”

“What happened?”

“One of the myriad secrets I can’t share. She sacrificed herself to save a lot of lives.”

“Sounds like an impressive sister.”

“Yeah. She was ten years older and more mum than sister. It’s convoluted.” 

“Families always are.” She hesitated.

“What?”

“This has been intense and incredible…”

“Odd timing to tell me to get out.”

“No.” Nessa snuggled against him. “Guys who don’t grab their pants and take off the first chance they get are complicated.”

“Did you expect me to?”

“No.”

“Trying to tell me you don’t do commitments or relationships?”

Nessa laughed. “More like trying to figure out what to say. I like you. You’re definitely fun. But no matter how open-minded a guy claims to be, I have yet to meet one who could separate sex from emotion.”

“I’m not possessive or jealous. I can be protective. I see bruises and someone is getting hurt.”

“How open-minded are you? I never dated a guy I could pick-up men with.”

Trefor closed his eyes. “I have never met anyone like you.”

His mobile rang, and he reached for it with his free hand. “Yeah.”

“Are you with Nessa Dove?” Jack asked.

“Why?”

“Jeannette Dove blew up part of her family’s house an hour ago. A similar fireball killed Eddie Cattrel.”

“Ballistic shield, modified destabilizer for range. Is John still at Four?”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“Yes, I’m with Nessa.”

“Ianto will send you the location.” Jack hesitated. “Are you sure Nessa isn’t dangerous?”

“Not like that. Do you have destabilizers? Do you know how to modify them?”

“Yeah.”

“I am bringing her with me. Nessa may be able to talk her sister down.”

“Are you thinking clearly?”

“Yes. I will explain later.” The general ended the call.

“Talk my sister down?”

Trefor explained what he knew. 

“What does a destabilizer do?”

It was going to be a long day.

 

** Evacuated Area **

General Trefor Williams parked behind the Torchwood van. He could justify the situation all he wanted. He’d been sent to do a welfare check on a woman whose family was involved in a case. More than one case. A significantly younger woman.

Nessa unfastened her seatbelt before he released his. 

“Stay here.”

“No.”

He reached out and took her hand. “We don’t know what the situation is.”

“So much for not being a Neanderthal.”

“Nessa, there is a lot more to it.” He kissed her forehead. “Please, stay in the car.”

He opted for a hat and his sunglasses. It was ridiculous at night, but it might keep people from noticing how much he look like Jack. 

“What the hell were you thinking?” Jack demanded as he passed the van on the sidewalk.

“Just one more thing I have in common with my father.” He couldn’t help it. The emotions were already swirling.

Jack growled. “Have you dealt with a situation like this before?”

“CN and Rift ability, yeah. Teenage girls throwing fireballs, no.”

“Nessa didn’t mention a problem?”

“Assholes parents, not fireballs.”

Nessa walked up behind him, without him noticing. Her touched calmed him. 

“Where is my sister?”

“Go back to the car.” Jack motioned toward it.

Nessa reached for Jack’s hand. Trefor grabbed her hand. 

“As much as it would amuse me to see what that would do, Gwen is around here somewhere and she will shoot you.”

Jack backed up. “What is she doing to you?”

“Keep me from exhibiting your emotions.” Trefor sighed. “The outburst in the conference room was bizarre. I don’t act like that.”

“Neither do I.”

“It’s Captain Harkness?” Nessa said. “It’s an energy connection. I don’t know what kind or how someone winds up sharing emotions with a parent. You’re more emotionally expressive and he can’t handle the overload.”

“It’s a Rift ability?”

“I doubt it. Nessa can’t identify chronons.”

“The same problem with Anwen and John.”

“CN, Rift energy and chronons.” He tapped his wrist-com through his sleeve. “You OD’d a second time in less than a month.” 

“Does this translate?” Nessa asked.

Trefor just a had really bad idea. “Uh, does Jeannette view dating like you do?”

“No.” Nessa hesitated. “Oh shit. She liked Eddie. A lot.”

Jack tapped his ear com. “Gwen, is Bree with you?”

“Yeah.”

“Ask her if Jeannette’s social media could indicate a bad introduction to sex or rape.”

Trefor gripped Nessa’s hand and tapped his ear com.

Minutes passed before his mother replied. “She says it could explain the rage. Jeannette is seeing a school counselor like Malcolm was. There aren’t any files in the system.” She paused. “Shit. Luc said the clone version of CN was less dangerous than X.”

“Please contact Luc and ask if it could be used as a date rape drug,” the general said.

“My sister’s a healer.” Tears welled in Nessa’s eyes. “How could Eddie do that to his best friend’s sister?”

“Jack,” Gwen said, “If Eddie took advantage or raped her, she’s going to lash out at men. I need to take her down.”

 

Gwen Cooper met with Jack and the Torchwood van after a police report gave them a better idea where Jeannette Dove was. Jack explained how the balistic shield worked while Trefor modified distabilizers.

“If its a Rift ability, she will need time to generate the fireball before she can throw it. The destabilizers will disrupt both the energy causing the ability and the manifestation. It’s less effective over a distance. We don’t have a grenade form we could launch with an RPG. A project for John.”

“She will listen to me.”

“No, she won’t, Nessa,” the general said. “Her rage is manifesting as fireballs. A Rift ability should reflect her personality. A healer wouldn’t kill people. She’s having an extreme reaction to the CN.”

“What do you mean?”

“CN is a hallucinogen. We’ve seen two extreme CN reactions recently. One person overdoses and he flirts with imaginary aliens. The other sees monsters and tries to kill them. If your sister is enraged and ashamed, she’s throwing fireballs at the source of her shame.”

Nessa shook her head. “Why did she blow up the house?”

“Women who have been sexually assaulted can blame themselves for what happened,” Gwen said. “She may have tried to commit suicide.”

“I’m sorry.”

Gwen tried to focus on the ballistic shield. It wasn’t something that was discussed. She hadn’t been raped. Her and Jack had been drugged; the decision had been taken from both of them. Coping with it had been similar. Although she would never be ashamed of her son.

“Are you all right?” Jack asked quietly.

“Yeah.”

“I should do this.”

“Considering what the Rift device in Southeast Asia did to Aman, Jack, she might be able to hurt you.”

“She can hurt you.”

Ianto said over the ear com, “CCTV cameras are going down near a suspected drug house.”

“I will do this.”

The general handed her a destabilizer. “She will most likely shimmer when she’s targeting.”

 

Gwen recognized the girl from a photograph. She was standing on the curb staring across the street. After a deep breath, she activated the shield. Jeanette must have heard something because she turned to Gwen. The hairs stood up on her arms and energy danced over her skin. 

“I’m Gwen Cooper from Torchwood.” The destabilizer’s targeting settings were taking longer than expected.

The light on the weapon turned green.

“Leave me alone.” A wave of energy struck the shield.

Gwen aimed the weapon. “Nessa is waiting with my team. She’s worried about you.” 

“Leave my sister out of this.”

The first destabilizer pulse disrupted an energy blast. The second only seemed to stun Jeannette. Another energy wave hit the shield, and an alarm sounded; the shield was failing. Unsure what else to try, Gwen aimed for the ground at the girl’s feet. It knocked her over. Another shot and the girl wasn’t moving. Gwen scanned her, approaching slowly. Jeannette was unconscious. She quickly sedated the girl.

“Secured.”


	17. Chapter 17

**Torchwood Nova Scotia; Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada**

**Wednesday, February 27, 2020**

Luc Sarkisian reviewed the results. A part of him expected the information to change. He’d seen the crazy and the incomprehensible. Time travel and temporal physics were things he’d previously attributed to bad science fiction. Working with Torchwood Three shook everything he thought he knew.

Reviewing the information on Torchwood Four forced him to consider the implications of manipulating time. What they knew was the building had a quantum entanglement energy source. Something disrupted it. What he couldn’t decide was cause and effect. He couldn’t shake the idea that a variable was unknown.

Spooky action at a distance, as Einstein once insulted, was a paradox. Anything involving time travel or temporal change should be impossible because of paradox. He wondered if the two were governed by the sample principals. Which gave him no more of an idea how it was possible than before, but it suggested a connection. He could only guess that there had to be some type of balance.

“Have you ever played Jenga?”

“The game with the wooden pieces?” Anwen asked.

“Yes. It starts with a solid rectangle comprised of blocks. Each player removes a block from the tower and places it in top. Changing the arrangement makes the tower unstable. One person can remove a difficult piece and not knock over the tower. Another person could try for an easy piece and knock it over.”

“Okay.”

“The problem appears to be Jenga at the quantum level. That’s really really small physics. Quantum entanglement is particles connected at a distance for reasons that don’t currently make sense. If the entanglement was a Jenga game, then the blocks are connected to other blocks in the tower in a way we can’t see or measure. Moving a block from the upper left side could do nothing or it could cause one at the bottom right to disappear.”

“The system wouldn’t be stable,” John said.

“Time travel is theoretically impossible. Quantum entanglement is screwed up, but it doesn’t completely violate the Laws of Physics.”

John groaned. “How do we fix it?”

“It was stable at one point. Which means it could be and probably should be.” Luc reviewed the model on his computer. Kailen had been unable to program a scenario that worked. He could only guess and he hated guessing. “Studying quantum entanglement is difficult because the act of studying it disrupts it. I think the power source was disrupted by another process that works the same way. As the result of the entanglement destabilizing was a time distortion, I’m thinking the two things are related.”

“The CN, Rift Energy and chronon cocktail somehow interacted with Four, trapping us in its time distortion.” John sounded tired. “Could the portal device have done it?”

“I don’t think so. Several people have all use portal devices without a problem. There is evidence that other devices have been used.” Luc hesitated. It was all very unscientific. “I think there is another device. Intentional or not, it came through the Rift and is affecting everything based on the same physics as Four’s power source. It’s probably passive.”

“An observation device.”

“Occam’s Razor. Somewhat. Applying the least amount of assumptions to guess work.”

“Then we have to block the observation. Pending the power source is stable, it would fix itself.”

“Yeah.”

Anwen swore. Luc had no idea what language. From talking to John, Anwen was drawing from his memories, and didn’t know what language she was using. Which him wonder about Penrose’s crazy theories about consciousness being another form of physics. The idea gave him a headache. “How do we block a device that operates on a part of reality we can’t interact with?”

“We have to figure out what we’re dealing with first. Scientists study dark matter by evaluating how it effects everything around it. It was discovered because of gravity. We understand gravity, or think we do, therefore, we use what we know to attempt to understand what we don’t.”

“Planetary physics vary by area of the universe, time…” John trailed off. “CN is energy contamination caused by creatures that travel through the Rift. Jack and I have chronons, or time energy, and have been affected by traveling through time and space. The first oddity was a result of me getting trapped in the Rift using a portal device that malfunctioned and Anwen rescuing me. That event connected us.”

Luc rubbed his temples. “A disruption of the local Laws of Physics?”

“Do you have a better idea?”

“No.” The conversation with an agreement that John would coordinate with Jack. It was difficult to solve a problem when he had trouble believing the problem was possible.

Eryn walked up behind him, and rested her hands on his shoulders. “Any luck?”

“No.”

“I want to see this band tonight. Its a midweek promotional thing. Aman and Kailen have something planned.” She sighed. “I’m being selfish. A kid is trapped and wants to get home.”

Luc reached up and set one of his hands over hers. “I can’t fix what I don’t understand. Where’s the band?”


	18. Chapter 18

** Torchwood Three **

Jack Harkness pulled a chair over to Payton Borthwick’s bedside. A medical scan showed the CN drug was out of his system. As they didn’t know what he could do normally, Jack thought it was best if he started the questions. Pending Borthwick wasn’t dangerous, Bree would continue.

“Where am I?”

“Torchwood.” He sat. “I’m Captain Jack Harkness.”

“What happened?”

“You had a bad reaction to a drug.”

“Bad enough for restraints?” He tugged weakly at the cuffs holding his wrists.

“What’s the last thing you remember?”

“I don’t know.”

Jack wondered what the young man remembered. He’d seen the expression before. It reminded him some of what Ianto look liked in the days after he returned. It was possible to have post-traumatic reactions to unremembered events. But Payton was horrified by something. Which mean he either knew something happened or more likely remembered it.

“When we tracked your activities, we found that you participated in a genetics research study.”

“Yeah.”

“Why were they interested in people born in Cardiff?”

Payton hesitated. “They were looking for people with psychic abilities.”

“We spoke to your mother. She said you could find things.”

He closed his eyes. “Yeah.”

“Did you tell the researchers?”

“Yeah. They said they wanted to test my ability.”

“What happened?”

“I don’t know.” Payton’s tone said he did know.

“Were they looking for something?”

“Yeah.”

“What?”

“Alien technology. They said alien stuff falls through a hole in space time.” Tears welled in his eyes. “I believed them. Clean energy, new advances in medicine. No one spends money on those.”

Jack set gently took Payton’s hand. “We have a psychiatrist who is going to talk to you. More information will help. But her priority is making sure you’re all right.”

He stepped into the hallway and let the door close behind him. Bree, Gwen and Ianto were waiting. The intercom let them hear the conversation. “Bree, did you watch the CCTV footage of the Red Dragon Centre.”

Bree nodded.

“There is a medical bracelet on the counter next to Payton. Place it on your wrist. If it tells you get out of there, run.”

“It helps to know what a person has been through. I need as much information as possible. He will most likely need to be transferred to a psychiatric facility. I’ve read what we know about Jovel Baughn. If Payton was held for weeks and tortured, we have to consider Stockholm Syndrome.”

“Meaning what,” Gwen asked.

“That he went into the mall on purpose. From the damage reports, he could have collapsed the building, tunnel and possibly damaged Torchwood.”

Jack added, “It could have been a test to see how we’d respond.”

Bree stepped into the infirmary and the door closed.

“Check with Anwen. Than go back over what we know.” Jack said to Gwen. “I need to speak to Talbot.”

“No,” Ianto said. “He came here to push your buttons. There is nothing he can say to me that’s compared to what I have said to myself since I came back. I will ask questions. If he won’t answer them, have John deal with him when he gets back from Four.”

“John?” Gwen asked, wide eyed. 

“Or Aman.”

Jack set a hand on Ianto’s shoulder. “I will deal with him.”

“No.” Ianto set his hand on Jack’s. “Talbot got into your head. He knows you to well. Even if he knows how to hurt me, the PTSD has made me face everything. There is nothing he could say that I haven’t already agonized over and dealt with.”

“What did Talbot say to you?” Gwen asked after Ianto walked away.

 

Ianto Jones already prepared a list of questions. Payton’s ability to find things already suggested that was what the researchers wanted him for. The big questions were what they were looking for and why. To convince Talbot it was nothing special, he needed to ask as many general questions as possible. He had to look bored and not lose his temper.

Talbot mentioned Steven. There was no reason to go there unless his goal was to inflict as much pain as possible. Anyone who knew Jack would know that would haunt him as long as he lived. No one who cared would have gone there. Which meant Talbot’s motivation for showing up was not because he expected consideration from Jack. His association with Beaupre suggested Talbot was an interrogator. Upsetting Jack was some type of strategy.

The specialized cell was in a rarely used area. The walk gave him time to think. If Talbot researched him, he knew about London and Lisa. Observation would have told Talbot he fetched Jack’s dry cleaning and the kids from school. He entered the adjacent room and moved a chair and a small table to window. 

“Derrian Talbot, I’m the office manager.” Ianto set a notepad and tablet on the table and sat facing the window. “I have a number of questions to ask you about Ronald Beaupre and your work for Torchwood after you faked your death.”

Talbot walked over to the transparent wall. “Ianto Jones.”

“Yes.” Ianto picked up the tablet to read questions. “Why did you fake your death?”

“Jack sent the resurrected office boy.”

“I handle day-to-day tasks, Mr. Talbot. Normally, I feed the Weevils and make sure the bots clean their cells. I don’t talk to the house guests. They are unable to explain why they committed crimes.”

“You’re comparing me to a Weevil.”

“No. They haven’t violated human rights or committed war crimes.”

Talbot rubbed his face. “How do you even exist?”

“When the hub rebuilt itself, it needed someone to manage it. I woke up in Jack’s office when the process completed.” Ianto shrugged. 

“You were resurrected by Torchwood Three?”

“Would that be the strangest thing you’ve seen since joining Torchwood, Mr. Talbot?”

“I came here to talk to Jack.” Talbot started pacing.

“Yep. Had you answered his questions and helped, he might have forgiven you in time. But you brought me into it.”

“He told you?” 

Ianto nodded. “I already knew about Miracle Day. The hub doesn’t keep secrets from me.”

“That’s insane.”

“No. That’s Torchwood. Insanity is enslaving sentient creatures to produce a torture drug for a human-trafficker. How long did you think you could do that in the name of Torchwood before Jack found out?”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“What I would understand is the answers to these questions.” Ianto checked his watch. “Why did you fake your death?”

“Do you have any idea what I have done for Torchwood?”

“That’s what I’m asking.”


	19. Chapter 19

** (private college); Cardiff, Wales **

The sun was setting as General Trefor Williams walked into the school library. The call surprised him. Watching them prep her sister for transport had been more than Nessa could handle. She said she needed time. The sparkle in her eyes was replaced by haunted. 

Finding her was easy enough. Nessa sat at a table near the front door reading a novel. She looked younger and tired. 

“Hey.” He sat across from her. 

“I told you I could protect myself. Then I call to be rescued.” She handed over her phone with a picture. “That woman’s following me. There is something not right about her.”

“Can you send it to me? I need to send it in for facial rec.”

Nessa nodded. “How’s Jeannette?”

“Sedated.” The general’s mobile beeped. He received the photograph and forwarded it. “When the drug is out of her system, we’ll wake her.”

“I couldn’t deal with it.” She hesitated. “Is your dad still mad about me?”

“No.” He held out his hand palm up on the table. 

She set her hand on his. “I went overboard getting your attention. Maybe it was the idea that we had so much in common. I was twelve when I realized I was different. Psychiatrists, health teachers, a school nurse and friends have all told me I’m screwed up.”

Lightly, he brushed her hand with his thumb. “My sister told me repeatedly that I was who I was meant to be. We gave our lives to defend the world. The world had no right to demand anything else.”

“Was she like us?”

“No. She did share my awful taste in men.”

Nessa laughed softly. The light came back to her eyes briefly. “What do you look for in a man?”

“Rugby players. Its been a bad joke since I was a teenager.” He smiled. “Big, strong, powerful men. No frills. No excuses.”

“Were you an athlete?”

“No.”

“Let me guess, you weren’t manly because you didn’t play sports. So to prove to yourself that you’re a man, you seek to dominant manly men.”

“Maybe.”

“Bimbos. You date bimbos. No one who could possibly keep up with you.”

“I’ve been told that.”

“No wonder you looked like a deer-caught-in-the-headlights when I was sitting on your lap giving you orders.”

“I wasn’t that bad.”

“Rugby players. That could be fun.”

The general shook his head. “I need to get back to the office. Come with me. I want to know you’re safe.”

“Won’t that piss off your father?”

“A bonus.”

 

While Anwen’s Rift ability was occasionally discussed, his never was. Few people mentioned it. Miriam would discuss it in context with her own psychic ability. Their friendship was something that puzzled people outside the family. The younger version didn’t know yet. Sensing an enemy reminded of both what he was and the secrets he kept. The woman was definitely a disguised alien. The Rift energy, chronons and just general wrongness, gave her away. 

Two things occurred to him as he walked toward Ianto’s car gripping her hand. His bad judgment over younger Miriam was a need to connect with someone who could understand him. And Nessa was about to find out what he was capable of. 

“What’s wrong?” Nessa asked.

“Last night, I said I knew two people with Rift abilities. A leader and a soldier.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m the soldier. Your stalker is an alien. Probably with bad intentions, given how strong the sensation is.”

“Search-and-destroy.” She hesitated. “What did you mean?”

“I knew how to take down your sister because I can do something similar.”

The woman/alien approached in the car park. A broad daylight attack was bold. His appearance must have disrupted whatever they intended. Perhaps the alien expected Nessa to lead her to something or someone. Which probably meant he was recognized as Torchwood. The advantage to being outside his time was that his ability wasn’t known about. She was unprepared.

“Get behind me. Close your eyes. You don’t want to see this.”

The alien drew a weapon as he targeted her. Full of chronons, she traveled a long way. He didn’t have to recognize the weapon, to sense the intent. It was like pulling the trigger and watching everything unfold in the slow motion. Time stretched as his manifestation built. Before she could aim her weapon, she exploded, spraying alien goo over a really nice Mercedes.

He tapped his ear piece. “Jack.” When no one said anything, he waited for someone to connect.

“What happened?” his father asked.

“Nessa’s stalker caused a hazmat situation.” He gave his location. “From the color and smell, I would guess it’s the same type of creature that was working for Moss-Probert and calling herself Liberty. We don’t know much about them.”

“Is it dead?”

“Yeah. It’s a goo clean up.”


	20. Chapter 20

** Torchwood Three **

Nessa Dove really wondered what she got herself into. Trefor was weird after Jack and Gwen arrived with the black van to handle clean up. They rode in silence to a parking garage. He parked, looking very uneasy.

“What’s wrong?”

“I have to work.”

“Yeah.” She set her hand on his leg.

“I need you to stay with Ianto. He’s the office manager and…”

“Your boyfriend?”

“No. Jack’s boyfriend.” He hesitated. “My father is very protective of him.”

“Don’t touch him because your dad will freak out.”

“Yeah.”

Nessa laughed. “Have you ever introduced a woman to your family before?”

“My sister. She intentionally scared the woman half-to-death.”

“A status-climbing bimbo.”

“I have said things I shouldn’t have.”

She squeezed his leg. “My parents are obsessed with money. My brother’s best friend tried to kill him and probably raped my sister. And she killed him for it.” She paused. “Your family can’t be worse.”

Trefor sat a hand on hers. “They don’t call me Trefor. They call me the general.”

“You’re a general?”

“Not anymore.”

“I’m going to find something out you can’t tell me.”

“Unfortunately,” he said.

“What are you afraid of?” The emotional turmoil was increasing and it was his emotions this time. “I know you’re open-minded and have a psychic ability. Welcome to the club.”

He gripped her hand as he lead her to a door and an elevator. The secret lair was not what she expected. A large door rolled over, revealing what looked something like a sewer with impressive technology. A man in a nice suit holding a toddler hugging a stuff horse waited for them. 

“Jack said to expect company.”

“Nessa, this is Ianto.”

Ianto offered to shake hands.

“Not a good idea,” Trefor said. 

“Our  guest answered a few questions. Jack wants the information reviewed. Bree is still in the infirmary. Initial assessment is PTSD, possible Stockholms. Luc and John are trying to trace a device to deal with Four’s problem. I need to check files for local issues.”

“Fun. Nessa needs to sit with you.”

“As long as you don’t throw blocks.” Ianto smiled at what must have been an inside joke.

Trefor released her hand and hugged her. She kissed him. 

“Stay out of trouble.” 

“Follow me.” Ianto headed toward a hallway at the back. “Don’t touch anything. Don’t wander off.”

It occurred to her what it was about him that caught her attention. She could sense him. Which made her wonder if Trefor didn’t know. He’d been genuinely worried about her upsetting his father by accidentally threatening Ianto. 

“I’ve never met a witch who carries a gun.”

“What?” Ianto set the boy in some type of enclosure with blocks. It made sense, the room wasn’t child safe.

The confusion was real. She had no idea how that was possible, unless he was hereditary. Even than, he should know. 

“You have two spirit marks. You’re a witch.”

“Uh. That’s complicated.” He motioned toward the desk. “I can find you a book, if you’d like. The ones we have are for a kid who loves horses.”

“You’re the babysitter.”

“Office management and babysitting. Often the same job.” He sat behind his desk.

Something about the spirit marks made him nervous. She sat across from him and noticed a few feathers on his desk. “Owl feathers.”

“From a case.”

She picked one up, startling him. “Trefor didn’t tell you about me.”

That took him a moment. “No.” 

 

Gwen Cooper laughed as they returned to the van after clean up. She couldn’t help it, the idea of explaining paint damage from an alien exploding all over the fancy car was hilarious. “What did you tell the car owner? He looked green?”

“He asked what caused the damage.” Jack started the car. “I told him the alien got to excited.”

Gwen laughed. “Why?”

“He had bumper stickers promoting abstinence.”

Gwen laughed more, nudging his leg. 

Jack suddenly leaned over to kiss her. She pushed him in the chest. “Jack.”

He sat back, and gripped the steering wheel. “Sorry.”

“What the hell?”

“I don’t know.”

Gwen’s mobile rang. She took a deep breath. “Hello.”

“Hey.” Andy sounded strange. “I emailed you about that restaurant you asked about.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I have to go.” The call ended.

Gwen checked her email as Jack drove. She couldn’t help but notice he was sitting stiffly. “Emlyn Rice and Alys Meyler have been arrested for drugs again. Possession and sale. No arrest records. No charges.”

“The girls who sent the tip from the library have a history with drugs.” She eyed him. “What’s wrong?”

“The general. The connection goes both ways.”

“Great. Keep your hands on the wheel.”

 

General Trefor Williams sat in the conference room reviewing the information Ianto got from Derrian Talbot. Jack restricted the video, which made him wonder what he was hiding. Ianto did something impressive. Talbot was a former Army interrogation specialist. The information couldn’t be forced out of him.

It gave him the idea to check rental agreements, or purchases, for buildings that had been empty a long time or were in out of the way locations. Beaupre needed privacy for his work. He was reading a description of a textile factory that had been closed for ten years when it hit. A wave of incredibly strong guilt. It made his stomach hurt.

The general tapped his ear com. “Jack, are you all right?”

“Why?” Something definitely sounded wrong.

“Emotional overload. What happened?”

“Nothing.”

“Right. Ianto, are you there?”

“Yeah.”

“Could you bring Nessa to the conference room?”

The general rested his head on the conference table. The guilt was intense. If they were right about the connection, Jack was feeling incredibly guilty about something. It made him think of his reaction to Nessa while gripped with his father’s emotions in her flat. What did you do, Jack? He could only imagine it had to do with his mother. Which he didn’t want to know about. The conference room door opened and he could sense Nessa before she reached him. 

“Sit back.”

He pushed his chair back and she climbed onto his lap. He placed his hands on her bare back again. Rather than go through the same process again, she just kissed him. The response was immediate. When she sat back, the guilt was replaced with his own reaction.

“Can you do that without kissing someone senseless?”

“Why? You don’t want to kiss me.”

He laughed. “No. But I’m thinking my father is affected.”

She set her forehead to his. “That would be really creepy.”

 

Jack Harkness entered Ianto’s office. The impulse was getting worse. He could only guess that Nessa’s way of breaking the connection for the general was sexual arousing. Gwen said nothing as she collected Trefor from the playpen and left, closing the door behind her.

“What happened?” Ianto walked around his desk.

“The emotional connection with the general. Did you see how Nessa break it on his side?”

“She was climbing on him when I backed up, letting the door to the conference room close.”

Jack closed his eyes. The desire was overwhelming him.

“What happened?”

“I tried to kiss Gwen.”

Ianto reached for him. “Kiss me. I won’t punch you.”


	21. Chapter 21

** Torchwood Three **

General Trefor Williams held Nessa’s hand and tapped the com controls with his other one. The situation had gotten out of hand. Even with continual contact, he could tell how his father was resolving the emotional exchange. His mother entered the conference room carrying baby Trefor.

“John, we need to resolve this quickly.” He explained the situation. “You can’t come back until the connections are severed.”

“Can you remove your wrist-strap?”

Reluctantly, he did it. The general couldn’t remember the last time he took it off. He rubbed his wrist. “It faded. I can still feel the connection.”

“Luc thinks it has to do with time and quantum entanglement. A passive device is affecting the area.”

“Nessa, how do you break the connection?” Gwen asked.

“I help Trefor tell the difference between energies.” Nessa hesitated. “I’ve never had to explain how it works before.”

“Nessa has a Rift ability?”

“I’m a witch.”

“Luc will love that.” John exhaled. “Does she have Rift energy?”

“I don’t know.” The general realized he should have checked that.

“Check for CN, Rift Energy and chronons. Jack should still test positive for CN. If she can disrupt CN, and clear Jack, it should resolve the problem.”

“That… that would be creepy.” Nessa said.

“Why?” John sounded confused.

“The process requires physical contact. You’re asking my lover to make-out with my father.”

“We need a different approach. While that sounds perversely amusing, Anwen would probably blow up the hub.”

“Why?” Gwen asked.

“Remember how bad I was the day you met me? Angry, jealous, out-of-control…” John trailed off. “She’s going back and forth between telling me I’m going to buy her a horse and saying that if I try to leave her again, she’s going to kill me.”

“What am I missing?”

“I’m connected to my father. John is connected to a ten year-old girl with an impressive Rift ability.”

“How does anyone wind up sharing emotions with their kid?”

“She was in her thirties when I met her.”

The general covered his face with a splayed hand. 

“Is he high?”

“No, darling, I’m not high. Your boyfriend should have mentioned you’re not Torchwood.”

“John, you’re sounding like Anwen.” Gwen said, “She’s keeping him separated from Jack.”

“Do the scans, disrupt Jack’s CN. If that works, we have a place to start. As for eye candy, tell him to watch, he might learn something.” The com was disconnected.

“What is his problem?”

The general ran his hand free hand through his hair and sets it on the back of his neck. “He’s psycho.”

“I will get the scan equipment.” Gwen stood and set baby Trefor on her hip.

“Thanks, mum.”

“Mum?” Nessa asked, after Gwen left.

“I was born in 2017. That ten year-old trapped with John is a younger version of my sister.”

“The baby.” She squeezed his hand. “That’s why they call you ‘the general.’”

“I’m sorry.” He set his forehead on her hand. 

“What are you worried about? No one would believe me if I tried telling them you’re from the future.”

“Torchwood takes over your life. Once you’re in, there is no way out. Unless we erase your memory.”

Nessa ran her fingers through his hair. “Ianto has owl feathers on his desk.” She took a moment. “It’s said the owl is a messenger of the Otherworld and she has unusual ways to teach lessons or solve problems.”

“Better to stay away from Ianto. There are things you don’t want to know.”

Nessa sighed. “You have a problem with your father’s boyfriend?”

“I piss him off. He threatens to shoot me.”

She laughed. “What did you do?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“He’s a sweetheart.” She paused. “Wait. He babysits your younger self and threatens to shoot you?”

“It gets stranger.”

 

Gwen Cooper reviewed the scan results wishing, not for the first time, that Tosh and Owen were still alive. Nessa’s results were negative. The general still had Rift energy and chronons despite continual physical contact. With no idea how the CN, or the connection worked, that didn’t mean much.

“You have no Rift energy. Your sister has no Rift energy and is stable despite a fatal dose of CN. Your brother has Rift energy.”

“He was touched by the Otherworld. He came back from the dead.”

“Your aunt mentioned that. She said he was dead for three minutes. What did she mean that he didn’t come back alone?”

“The strange stuff that happens around Malcolm started after he came back. I don’t remember a lot of it. He was four. I was seven. But he talked about being in utter darkness and a voice talking to him.”

“Do his eyes go black? Does he talk in tongues?”

Nessa stared at her a moment. “Demon possession?”

“No. A past case in which a man was brought back from the dead.”

“My brother returned with empathy. He’s caring and compassionate to the point of being labeled gay.” Nessa shook her head. “As the women in my family have gifts from the Otherworld, it was thought Malcolm came back with one.” She thought. “My aunt, Colina, said he didn’t come back alone? She didn’t explain?”

“She said there were questions we shouldn’t ask.”

The door opened and Jack stepped into the conference room. His hair was wet and he’d changed his clothes. He looked calmer.

Gwen explained the discussion with John and what they knew about Malcolm. “Another Resurrection device?”

“No. There is a theory that suggests a connection between quantum entanglement and human consciousness. Luc would probably know what its called.” Jack sounded tired. “It’s a crazy theory that has been disproved.”

“Do you know where Malcolm died?” The general asked.

“The car park of the Red Dragon Centre. He went into anaphylatic shock after a movie.”

“Borthwick destabilized the entire structure. The foundation, the tunnel. He could have breached the walls here, if we hadn’t gotten to him in time,” the general said.

“If it was us,” Gwen said, “The biomechs would have triggered it when they breached last year.”

“We will find it.” Jack looked at Nessa. “What do you need to do to clear the CN?”

“Go wait in the hall.” Nessa told Trefor.

Gwen stood. “We’re going to join him.” She picked up baby Trefor from the corner and headed out.

 

Jack Harkness wondered as Nessa approached him, looking a bit uneasy. By everyone’s reaction, including Ianto who refused to come upstairs, he suspected it involved sexual contact. He’d seen Nessa calm Trefor simply by touching him. Which could have been residual.

“When I separated Trefor both times, he was overwhelmed by guilt. It was very specific.” She stopped next to his chair. “And very strong. I asked him if he liked women because his reaction to my sitting on his lap was very strange.” She held out her hand. “The kind of a guilt a person has when they’re torn between two things,” she held up two fingers, “That don’t work.”

He reached for her hand. 

Nessa closed her eyes. “When you love someone enough to make a promise to be something you can’t be, it causes a lot of guilt. The kind that could double a person over who wasn’t used to the pain.” She ran a thumb over the back of his hand lightly. “I can’t help you, if you fight me. Taboos, obligation.”

“What do you have to do?” 

“Physical contact. The connection was so strong, I overrode the guilt with Trefor’s own arousal.”

“The CN is different.”

Nessa meet his eyes. “It’s a type of energy. Dark and ugly. It made my sister kill.” She stepped closer. “What does it do to you?”

“I hallucinate and flirt with the hallucinations.”

“It gives you an outlet for a part of yourself you’re fighting.” She shook her head slightly. “I can only guess that you’re projecting guilt onto Trefor. He blames you for his sexuality.” A beat. “He mentioned his mother, not realizing I would meet her. It must be very strange to work with two people you love.” 

When Nessa nudged the arm of the office chair, he pushed it back. Whatever she was doing, it was very calming.

“I am going to climb on your lap. You need to place your hands on my back above my waist.”

The guilt was immediate. 

“Does Ianto know you’re here?” She sat back, resting on his knees. 

“Yeah.”

“He knows about the physical contact. Both because Trefor didn’t want me shaking his hand and because he saw me do this to Trefor before the door closed.”

That didn’t make it any easier. When Ianto came back, he committed himself. He rarely flirted anymore. Cory drunk kissing him had triggered Ianto’s PTSD symptoms. His carelessness got Ianto killed. He had to make it right.

“The guilt has to go. I am no threat to Ianto. He knows I have to touch you.” Nessa reached out and touched his face with her finger tips. “Just a beautiful woman sitting on your lap. No reason for guilt.” She pressed her forehead to his. “Let it go. The guilt, the pain, the shame.”

He felt it lift. “Thank you.”

Nessa sat back. “A piece of advice. Work this out. If Ianto loves you, truly loves you, he’s not going to ask you to do this to yourself.” She slid of the chair.


	22. Chapter 22

** Torchwood Nova Scotia; Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada **

Luc Sarkisian thanked Eryn for lunch and wondered if he should try and say something again. He could hear his very liberal mother’s voice and opinion about Eryn waiting on him. He asked Kailen for advice, and her brother laughed. The only thing he was sure of at that point was he didn’t understand his new team. Aman sulked. Kailen tested a computer upgrade with a first person shooter in surround sound. And he needed to use the intercom, if he wasn’t positive where one of them was. He walked in on them in Kailen’s computer room. Eryn figured it out because he was still embarrassed when she found him ten minutes later.

“Repeat that.” 

“We have reason to believe that the device affects consciousness as well as quantum entanglement and time,” Gwen said.

“Are you talking about Penrose and Hameroff? The idea that consciousness is a different form of physics.”

“The CN reacted to Rift energy and chronons,” John said. “The result was a mental exchange. Anwen has unconscious access to my memories. She using my knowledge. I’m getting parts of her personality.”

“This isn’t a hallucination?” Hearing it again didn’t make it anymore believable.

“She’s using my knowledge and the way she thinks to repair the computer system. Very little of Four’s technology is from this time line. Alien tech. Future tech. There are things in storage I have never seen before,” John said. “There is no way Anwen has the knowledge or skills to understand the computer system.”

“Emotional transference between Jack and Trefor. It apparently was based on their own issues. Which makes me think the connection between John and Anwen isn’t what we originally thought. It’s a lot more complicated,” Gwen said. “I would guess Anwen feels responsible for John being trapped there and needs John’s knowledge to get them out.”

“No idea. But why are we talking about unicorns also known as Orchestrated Objective Reduction? There is no valid connection between physics and neuroscience.”

“Luc, you said time travel was theoretically impossible.” John reminded. 

“When I see a white horse with a golden horn, we will talk Penrose and Hameroff. Until then, we’re dealing with a device that disrupts quantum entanglement.”

“We know where the device is,” Jack added, sounding distracted. “We need to know how to find it.”

“Say that again.”

“Luc,” Gwen said, “We believe the device is near the Red Dragon Centre car park. We have two points of reference. The question is how do we find it.”

“Could it have something to do with the destruction of Torchwood or its reappearance?”

“I doubt it,” the general said. “Other Keara would have done something about it. Although her connection to this time line is deteriorating.”

Luc groaned. “Pending the device scrambled your brains, how did you disconnect?”

“Nessa. She cleared the CN from Jack.”

“Rift Ability?”

John laughed. “Nessa is a witch.”

“You’re serious?” Luc groaned.

“Nessa has no CN, Rift energy or chronons,” Gwen said, “Witch is her term for it.”

“Great.” Luc rubbed his temples. “Can she sense energy other than CN?”

“Yeah,” the general said.

“Then take Glenda the good witch over to the Red Dragon to look for flying monkeys.” Luc disconnected the com. He had a headache. 

“Flying monkeys?” Eryn walked over.

“I need a vacation from crazy. Do you want to go to the mall?”

 

Ianto Jones wondered some days. A quickie in his office in the middle of a case was new. He opted to work from Jack’s office after, hoping he could focus. Easier said than done. Before the 456, it wouldn’t have surprised him. The hub had been their playground after hours. A lot had changed since then. He’d changed more than he wanted to admit. Checking system notices thankfully did not require much concentration. 

Nessa sat on the floor under the coat rack. He wasn’t sure what happened or whether or not he should say anything. 

“Why do you threaten to shoot Trefor?”

“He treats me like a cross between his father’s butler and a trophy wife. It reminds him I’m not.”

“Wicked stepmother conflict.”

“How are you holding up?”

Nessa laughed. “I don’t know. I’m sitting in an office with a guy’s wicked stepmother who threatens to shoot him. After making out with his father.”

There was nothing he could say that wasn’t incredibly inappropriate. His reaction was positive. No anxiety. No irrational thoughts. Maybe it was the absurdity of the situation. Or that Jack was reluctant to leave him earlier. 

“Why does everyone treat you like your fragile?”

“PTSD.”

Nessa stood and moved over to him. “You work law enforcement with PTSD?”

“Yep.” 

A search completion notification caught his attention. He tracked down details on drug dealing to teenagers with wealthy families. The police department had records, but prosecuting minors with connections was difficult. One of the investigators had a coded system for repeat offenders. Andy’s tip about Emlyn Rice and Alys Meyler made it possible to learn the young women’s codes. They were connected to the drug house Jeannette Dove intended to blow up. 

He started another search for a connection to Marlowe Haskin or Skyla Chinery. It could connect Fairy Farm to Cattrel and possibly lead to an explanation of Eddie’s behavior that left seven dead, seven permanantly injured and an uncertain number of other offenses the young man committed against character.

“You want to ask me something.” Nessa perched on the edge of Jack desk. He sometimes did that while talking to Jack.

“Do the names Marlowe Haskin or Skyla Chinery mean anything?”

“The news. Why would I know drug dealers?”

“I’m trying to connect Eddie Cattrel to a drug ring that doesn’t make any sense.”

“The alien reptiles at Fairy Farm and Cattrel Industries.” Nessa took a moment. “I’m a business major. Not just another rich trust fund kid.”

“I didn’t mean that.”

“You’re a puzzle, Ianto. I would guess you’re not gay, and you barely notice I’m here. That’s different.”

“I’m not a very wicked stepmother.”

Nessa laughed.


	23. Chapter 23

**The Red Dragon Centre; Cardiff, Wales**

Jack Harkness showed Nessa the lift as the quickest route from the hub to the car park. The general’s bad judgment worked out. It made the entire Dove family problematic. The best solution so far was to relocate Nessa and Jeannette to Ireland to be near Malcolm. If Four stabilized, they would be monitored from there. He was unsure Retcon would work on Nessa, and if it did, she would not be able to manage her sister.

“Trefor didn’t want me to leave with you. What are you expected to do to me?”

“It’s a bad situation.”

“I’m useful until I find the device. Then you’ll do something to my memory?”

“The device is my immediate concern.” He needed to talk to the general about sharing information. He saw no indication of a problem until Nessa. Either she affected him more than any of them realized, or there was something going on with him. It wouldn’t be a pleasant conversation.

“What am I looking for?” She asked as they crossed Bute Place.

“Unusual energy. CN, Rift energy and/or chronons.”

“Chronons are time?” Her body language was tense. He wondered if she would try to run. Self-preservation could override concern for her sister sedated in the infirmary.

“Yes.”

She lead between the centre and the highway toward the car park. “The entire area has weird energy. The hub, you, Trefor, Ianto, the baby. It lessened as we crossed the highway tunnel.”

The sun was setting over the busy car park. With the maintenance bots repairs, the centre reopened with little fan fair. After years of bizarre happenings in Cardiff, the community viewed the attack as one more oddity and life went back to normal.

“This might be easier said than done.” She crouched at the edge of the car park separating it from the highway and picked up a piece of cement. “This has the same energy as the hub.”

Jack scanned it. He could only guess it had been a piece of the original hub before the explosion. The bomb detonated the structure but was contained underground. There wasn’t a lot of options as to how it got there. If it was the only piece, it could be an anomaly. “Are there more pieces?”

After several pieces, he was wondering if the device was affected by the destruction of the hub. If the device affected time and quantum entanglement, it could have reacted by causing events indirectly connected through time. In theory, detonating Three could have caused Malcolm Dove’s injuries and the disappearance of Torchwood Four in the past and transported pieces from the destruction forward to the present.

Nessa jumped, scrambling back from a piece of debris she reached for. She was staring at him with a horrified expression. “What are you?”

“What?”

“I don’t know how the building was rebuilt. Magic, technology.” She hesitated. “You were part of the explosion.”

He walked over to her latest discovered. She backed away from him. A piece of fabric from what he was wearing or extras. He’d lived in the hub than. The condition said it hadn’t been laying on the ground for more than a few days.

“I can’t die,” he told her simply. “I have been shot, stabbed and blown up. I get dragged back from the other side after my body regenerates.”

“I didn’t think Ianto was that powerful.”

Jack turned and looked at her. “What?”

“Seriously? The owl feathers. The spirit marks. His connection to the Otherworld is impressive. And he just happens to have a boyfriend that can’t die.”

Jack could help but chuckle. He couldn’t picture Ianto channeling the Tardis not to mention meeting the Doctor. That part of his life was very different. He hadn’t thought about it, but he could see Rose and Ianto getting along. Rose with her eternal optimism. Ianto with his practicality. They’d drive each other crazy.

“I was brought back by Time Lord technology. A long time ago. I’m a fixed point in time and space.”

Nessa shook her head. “Trefor told me his family is screwed up.”

Jack laughed. The young woman had potential. She understood a part of the world their technology didn’t. She had accepted time travel, Rift energy and drugs that could result in her harmless sister throwing fireballs. They were still seeing the ripples caused by the time change. Under other circumstances, she never would have met Trefor. Torchwood might never had realized her potential.

A fixed point? He scanned the debris. Mapping it could determine a central location. “Would you keep looking?”

She hesitated and than stood. “What’s a Time Lord?”

“A quirky alien with an impressive screwdriver and a flying phonebooth.”

“Right. Time Lords are the Mary Poppins of the phone company.” Nessa sighed. “An Otherworld witch with a soul anchor and death omens actually makes more sense than that.”

Jack shook his head at the image. The rest of the information needed to be researched. He wasn’t ready to trust her with Ianto and knowledge of Russell and Lewella. Carelessness caused the situation in the first place.

“The energy is changing.”

“Observing quantum entanglement can disrupt it. The device might operate on similar principals.”

“How or why would someone create such a device?”

“That could be Torchwood’s motto.”

Nessa stopped near the center of the car park. “Jack. I found the device.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I think its like stepping on a land-mine.”

“Can you disrupt the energy?”

Nessa closed her eyes. The readings made him think of an IED. Rather than blow up the unlucky person that stepped on it, the device appeared to be sending ripples through time.


	24. Chapter 24

** Torchwood Four; Dublin, Ireland **

John Hart sat in the conference room they were using for living quarters. The very old book on raising thoroughbreds had very little information he didn’t already know. The drawings of Arabians were impressive. He couldn’t remember the name of the horse farm past Swansea. The location offered extensive trails. He’d only seen the paddock.

He rubbed his face, realizing he was starting to forget which thoughts were his and which were Anwen’s. She loved horses. She wanted to ride the trails. They’d had more than a few conversations about her love of horses. The one thing all three versions he’d met had in common. 

“You’re not leaving.”

“Darling, that wasn’t even a current thought.” He sighed, wondering if he sounded that crazy to Jack.

“That’s not nice.”

“Neither is reading my thoughts.”

Before Anwen could answer, she lost her balance. John moved around the table to help her. The facility shook. He shifted right to keep from landing on her. The impact jarred his shoulder.

“What’s happening?”

He hugged her, and held on. “I don’t know.”

When the tremors passed, his head hurt. It took a moment to realize he wasn’t fixating on horses anymore. Which suggested Jack fixed the problem.

“What happened?” Anwen sounded confused, looking around the room. “Where are we?”

“Torchwood Four. You don’t remember?”

“No.” She hesitated. “Why do I have this image in my head of you kissing Uncle Jack?”

“A story for another day.” He stood and helped her up.

“Rebooting,” the computer announced. “Diagnosing.”

“We’re in Ireland?”

John stood. “Yeah.”

She lost her balance again and gripped his arm. “Why can’t I remember?”

“For the best, darling.”

“Ireland has horses.”

John laughed. 

Anwen grimaced, holding her head. “How is it I didn’t know you dated Uncle Jack?”

“How would that conversation have gone?”

“Not good. But it explains a few things.”

John was pretty sure he didn’t want to know what that explained. “Computer, open com. Torchwood Three.”

“Anwen,” Gwen said.

“Yeah, mum. I’m guessing how I got to Ireland is a long story.”

“You don’t remember?”

“Nothing that makes sense.”

“Is Torchwood Four back online?”

“Yeah,” John said. 

“When Jack gets back, Anwen, we will get you home.”

Anwen’s eyes unfocused. “I think we have another problem.”

“What?” John and Gwen asked in unison.

“Four needs a Rift ability to stabilize.” Her voice sounded distant. 

John waved a hand in front of her face. “Darling?”

“John?” Gwen asked.

“This is cool,” Anwen said. “It’s like the Borg queen. You will be reassembled.”

“Unplug,” John said.

“I can’t. The general needs to be here to plug-in.” Anwen hesitated. “No. He doesn’t need to come here. He needs to agree to plug-in. Four can relocate him from Three.”

 

Torchwood Three

Jack Harkness returned to the hub. Gwen was waiting for him when he and Nessa stepped off the lift. From the look on her face, getting Anwen back wasn’t as simple as deactivating the device. 

“What happened?”

“Four requires someone with a Rift ability to keep it stable.”

The general walked down the steps from his office looking resigned. Nessa hurried over to him.

“John suggested the CN research was an attempt to find Four and possibly similar technology in the area.”

“How is Anwen doing?”

“Sounding spooky. She said her ability is strong enough but not the right kind to keep Four stable.”

“I will…” the general trailed off.

“What?” Nessa demanded.

“It’s Anwen. You have no idea what my sister sacrificed. Will sacrifice.”

“They can’t ask you to do that.”

Trefor hugged her. “Four is in Ireland. In or near Dublin.” He kissed the top of her head. “Once it’s stable, you can visit, if you want. Or relocate with Jeannette.”

“Trefor…”

“Mum.”

Gwen walked over and took Nessa by the shoulders. She didn’t struggle as the general back away. 

He flipped open his wrist-strap. “Anwen Williams.”

“Ready? Tell Four your assuming command authority.”

“Computer, Command authorization Trefor Williams.”

The general glowed orange, surrounded by Rift energy, and disappeared. Anwen and John reappeared a minute later in the same location.

“Mum.” Anwen stumbled, reaching for her mother. She hugged her mom with one arm and pointed at John with the other. “Stay away from the general’s girlfriend.” She took a moment. “I don’t have to read your thoughts of that.”

Gwen laughed, hugging her daughter. 

Jack walked over and set a hand on Anwen’s head. 

“The general is fine, Uncle Jack.”

John held out his hands. “I didn’t do anything.”

“Yet,” Jack said. “Are you up for an interrogation? We have a house guest.”

“Yeah.” John hesitated. “What did he do to piss you off?”

 

Ianto Jones finished organizing the information for interrogating Derrian Talbot. If John was right, it explained the research. It also said there were reasons Beaupre gave Basanjo access. He needed to access Torchwood Nigeria from the Faulklands. With Anwen back, it should be a matter of transferring the information to another independent system. There had to be something about Africa. Unless Beaupre knew about future Aman, there was a different reason he tried to kill him. There was probably more to Aman running Torchwood Nigeria than being raised in Africa. 

The office door open and Jack stepped in followed by John. “We need information on Talbot.”

“Already working on it.” Ianto made eye contact. “You are not going back in there with him.”

“I can handle him.”

“Derrian Talbot’s weak point is ego and self-worth. He knows he means something to you.”

“What are you suggesting,” John asked, obviously surprised by the exchange.

“Talbot didn’t try to hurt me. He asked why I existed. When I told him I was resurrected by Torchwood Three itself, he questioned it. Not because he couldn’t believe it, but it suggested I was more important then he was. He gave me information as proof of his value to Torchwood.”

“Why me?” John asked.

“He has no information on you. Between Beaupre and his connection to Woodside, he knows there is an agent they don’t know.”

“Woodside has future London.”

“Woodside sent us two copies of London. If Talbot had accurate records, he would know about the general. If he knew Jack had a double, he would have noticed the difference before approaching.”

“What else?”

“Talbot used Jack’s conscience to push his buttons. He knows things that Jack has done. You already know Jack’s darker side. Nothing you wouldn’t have done yourself.”

“Something specific?” John looked at Jack. “I need to know before I go in there.”


	25. Chapter 25

** Torchwood Nova Scotia; Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada **

Luc Sarkisian wondered at his life. An attack by a man from the future lead to him being rescued by a different man from farther in the future. That lead to him living in Wales and working with Captain Harkness. He’d seen things he still couldn’t believe. Then he’d met Eryn. She didn’t blink when he told her about his father’s father or blame him when she found out about his other grandfather. She knew about Torchwood: a blessing and a curse.

“Luc, I am dressed warm enough. I checked the weather before we left.” Eryn was exasperated. “I learn to dress myself a long time ago.”

“Canada is cold.” He sounded lame.

“So was Wales.” Eryn laughed. “And South Africa in the winter time.”

“I’m trying.”

“To hard.” She playfully punched him in the shoulder. 

The Great Wall was a Chinese restaurant that had great food and was unlikely to have teenagers unless they were with family. He didn’t mind running into math and science nerds from high school, but more often than not he encountered the brainless. Gwen had expected him to like his peers. He didn’t. In general, they were asses. He didn’t want her subjected to that.

“Table for two. Thank you.”

The woman smiled, showing them to a table.

Luc helped Eryn with her coat before they sat at a nice booth. “Do you recommend anything?”

“Anything but fish. Beef, pork, chicken. No fish.”

She laughed. “That bad?” 

“Yeah.”

They opted for a dinner-for-two special. Luc ordered. He was getting the impression that having him order meant something to her, but he had no idea what. She made him lunch and served group meals. She did her brother and Aman’s laundry and tried to do his. Chores weren’t an issue. A weird combination of domestic and liberated. He was missing something.

A waiter brought them drinks. Luc thanked her in Korean. When he’d first started eating there, he realized she didn’t speak much English and tried for Chinese. One of the others pointed out she spoke Korean. The next time he came in, he knew how to say thank you in Korean.

Eryn laughed. “You speak Chinese?”

“I know how to say thank you in Chinese and Korean. That was Korean.”

“You come here a lot?”

“Yeah. My mother brought me here the first time when I was eleven or twelve. She always used chopsticks. Me and dad never could figure out how to hold them.”

Eryn reached for his hand. “You’re a lot like your dad?”

“Yeah. Same looks. Same science. Same languages.” 

“Having good memories must be nice. I have some with my mother, but not my father.”

“It’s hard to remember them knowing what my mother and possibly my father have done.”

“I’ve mentioned my father.” Eryn squeezed his hand. “My mother knew. Me and Kailen knew as kids. She’d tell me we had to go to the hardware store.” She shook her head. “I was nine or ten. She had a list. A list. Rope, duct tape, garbages. She bought a shovel. And a few other things.” She paused. “I knew what my father was by then. There we were in the store and she was checking brands.”

“My mom liked dinosaur displays at museums.”

Eryn laughed. “My mother liked picnics, cooking, shopping and music.”

“Our common ground is insanely disturbed families?”

“Yeah.” She smiled.

The food arrived and they ate. She was telling him a ridiculous story about a neighbor when Luc’s mobile rang.

“Sarkisian.”

“You’ve got company,” Aman said. “Kailen’s facial rec software is connected to the RCMP now. The guy from the mall is back. He did something to your car.”

“Is he alone?”

“Looks like it.”

“Does it look like he rigged my car?”

Eryn was staring at him at that point.

“Yeah.”

“We need to take the guy. Can you and Kailen grab him while I coordinate a bomb squad? We need to evacuate everything around the car.”

“Already called.” Aman paused. “The mercs at De Waal attempted to herd us into an ambush. It wouldn’t take much to figure out how we got Beaupre.”

“The bomb threat will result in everything around us being evacuated. A couple blocks out. All bystanders will be forced behind barricades for their safety.”

“While you’re watching, the actual team moves in and grabs you.”

“Did you talk to Yeadon at RCMP?”

“Yeah. I told him it was a probable abduction attempt.”

“Unless it’s to get us all out of Torchwood.”

“Thought of that to. I’m using a portal device. Since they’re already linked, I will bring two more. Kailen’s locking down and activating the sentinels.”

 

** Commercial Distract **

Aman Oliveira portaled in to provide Luc and Eryn with a device and then went for his target. The man opted to retreat to a commercial district without active security cameras. It could also be a trap, he reminded himself, as he checked the scan equipment. No alien tech in the area. Only one vehicle showed a heat signature.

When Aman found the man, someone had already put a bullet in him. He put his back to a wall and checked the area.

“When Puzzo approached me in Brazil.” A quiet man stepped from the shadows into the dim light of a fading security bulb, “I thought he was crazy.” The other man wore gloves much like his and carried a similar weapon pointed at the ground. “Torchwood killed Aman Oliveira. He was not from the future.”

Aman had no idea what to expect.

“My name is Idrissa. I mean you no harm. That man, and the two with him, were here to kill you.” His name and accent said Africa. Aman guessed Nigerian. 

“I have been unable to figure out why these men want you dead. There is some connection to your father.” He sounded sad. “I knew Aman had secrets. I never could have imagined he was from the future.”

“You’re from Torchwood Nigeria.”

“The Fellowship of Inner Peace. What the Aman I knew created in the former Torchwood compound.”

“Why are you here?”

“Puzzo told me about you in an attempt to prevent me from seeking revenge against Torchwood. My Aman planned for everything except that.”

Aman stared at him. “The future version of me that attacked Nova Scotia. You were his lover?”

“Yes. He tried to explain to me the last time I saw him that he made a mistake.” Idrissa shook his head slightly. “I did not understand.” 

“What was your Aman attempting to accomplish?”

“That day in De Waal haunted him. He was in his forties when I met him. When he died, he had lived with it for many year. Faced with his own death, and the pending destruction of the planet, he made a deal with the devil. His life for Kailen’s. He would do anything. And he did,” Idrissa said sadly. “I did not know the pain ran that deep.”

“What do you want from me?”

“Nothing. I came here to check’s Puzzo’s claim. He told the truth.”

“I don’t want to cause you pain,” Aman said. “There are things I would like to know.”

“I will send you what I know about your father, South Africa and Brazil. It is not much.”

“Who’s Puzzo?”

Idrissa laughed. “I do not know. My Aman did not have an answer for that.”

 

** Torchwood Nova Scotia **

Aman returned, wondering about what he’d learn about himself. He’d already guessed that Kailen’s death sent his future self down a path of death and destruction. The idea that he did it to save Kailen made him wonder. If his future self was part of Torchwood, he should have known about Luc. He couldn’t imagine risking Eryn’s happiness in an attempt to save Kailen. There had to be more to it. Perhaps the future version of himself was from a completely different time line altogether. A bizarre thought.

“Was there an attack?” Aman entered Kailen’s computer lab.

“No.” Kailen stood. “RCMP found six bodies. African mercenaries. The CCTV cameras were disabled.” He touched Aman’s face. “What happened?”

Aman told Kailen about Idrissa without mentioning what related to Kailen.

“He sounds like Ianto.”


	26. Chapter 26

** Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales **

John Hart wondered if he overestimated his own recovery. He spent three days mentally connected to Anwen and days before that out of his head from CN exposure. He needed sleep and time to process. Yet, they needed information. The fact that Ianto openly argued with Jack said there was a serious problem. Either Gwen or the psychiatrist should have been a better option than sending him in there after everything.

“What does this man know?” John asked quietly, standing outside the secured cell. He knew about them from the short time he worked in Three. Torchwood London had similar ones. They weren’t used for humans.

Jack closed his eyes. The blatant pain spoke volumes. “How I took out the 456.”

It was a topic both Anwen’s barred from discussion. No one could ask questions. Absolutely no one was to mention it in front of Jack. The one time he asked why it was an issue, she told him the 456 killed Ianto and Jack couldn’t handle it. The explanation sounded extreme at the time, but Anwen could be overprotective.

“According to the London database, you used a temporal device with jury-rigged targeting and took them out with a bomb.”

“No.”

“Considering everything I’ve done, I won’t think less of you. I need to know.”

“Steven.”

John couldn’t remember Jack or Anwen mentioning a Steven. At least not remotely connected. “Jack.”

“I killed Steven to stop the 456. I killed my own grandson.”

That explained Anwen’s approach to discussing it. He couldn’t imagine what circumstances resulted in Jack killing a kid. But it explained the pain. 

“How does Talbot know that?”

Jack looked at him. He obviously hadn’t asked himself that question. “I don’t know.”

“Torchwood London has details on the device used. It said you used Retcon on everyone present because of classified information. If there were no witnesses, and you can’t talk about, how does Talbot know?”

Jack rubbed his face. “The same way Ianto did. He knows about Alice and where she is.”

“Whose Alice?”

“My daughter. Steven’s mother.”

“I will deal with Talbot. Go check on Alice.” 

John couldn’t help but think what Anwen would do to the man. The Anwen he loved from 2039. Upsetting Jack would have made her angry. Threatening Jack’s daughter might have resulted in a visit from Miriam. Her idea of a zero tolerance policy was usually bloody.

After a deep breath, John entered the adjacent room. It looked much the same as the ones in London. The transparent wall revealed a large, mostly empty room. The sole occupant stood as he entered. The information Ianto provided included a picture and known background details. Seeing the man in person made him familiar, somehow.

John grabbed a chair and moved it up the window. He flipped it around and sat on it, leaning against the back. He waited a moment before tapping the intercom button. Interrogation was not something he did usually for Torchwood. The general had people who were skilled at extracting information. But he had extracted information. A interrogator with no moral compass was a different matter. Pain and threats wouldn’t work. Ianto’s approach probably wouldn’t work for him either.

“Derrian Talbot.” John took a moment. “You make me look like a saint.”

“Who are you?”

“John. You haven’t heard of me. I work for the head of Torchwood London in the future.”

“The mysterious agent who kills biomechs.”

“Biomechs, aliens, general nuisances. The boss has a zero tolerance policy for people who piss her off.”

“Why are you here?”

“I get asked that a lot. The boss is not happy with this whole CN mess. She has a thing for Jack.”

The former army man crossed his arms. He looked tired. Days in solitary confinement could do that to a person. Especially a proud, self-righteous person. “What do you want?”

“An explanation. CN threatened Three, destabilized Four, endangered multiple Torchwood lives. Do you have any idea what Jack will do to you if anything happens to Ianto?”

“Torchwood won’t resurrect him again?”

“Jack had to wait ten years to get him back. The time and psychological impact was difficult for both of them. The turnaround time is probably shorter if the hub doesn’t have to rebuilt itself.”

“Right.”

It finally occurred to him who Talbot reminded him of. “The boss is fond of Ianto. When Torchwood London is rebuilt, he goes back. Between him and Langford, the boss doesn’t have to worry about anything.”

Talbot’s reaction was brief, but telling. He was right, Derrian Talbot was Langford Talbot’s father. If the man had any conscience whatsoever, he would care about his son. He had no problem referencing Steven’s death and possibly threatening Alice. He had to believe others were capable of committing the same atrocities he was.

“I need names and locations associated with CN production, research and distribution.”

“I don’t answer to you.”

“Computer, access Torchwood London, identify speaker.”

“Captain John Hart, Torchwood Global special projects.”

“Computer, what is John Hart’s current posting?”

“Torchwood Three problem-solver.”

Talbot backed up. “Woodside mentioned you.”

“My reputation precedes me.” Talbot’s fear made John wonder what the librarian said about him. “Which special project did he mention?”

“The attack on the Fellowship of Inner Peace.”

Woodside told Talbot he led Miriam’s attack on the cult. He knew more about Miriam than the attack. It was ugly. 

As Talbot broke down and told him about Rift abilities, research and CN, he couldn’t help but wonder exactly what Woodside said. Or why. It suggested the librarian knew more about the future than two different copies of information from his Anwen’s Torchwood London.

“There is some type of device near Torchwood Three. It caused the disappearance of Torchwood Four. It needs someone able to sense different types of energy to find it. Once its found, a person with a powerful enough Rift ability can take control of Torchwood Four.”

They knew that much. “Did Beaupre find a person able to do it?”

“Yeah. Payton Borthwick.”


	27. Chapter 27

** Torchwood Four; Dublin, Ireland **

General Trefor Williams arrived in Torchwood Four and wondered not for the first time about the price he paid for his family’s devotion. The older facility at least wasn’t a sewer. It reminded him some of the space station. Which meant he might have an idea of how it worked, and why aliens were looking for it. They had taken the alien station by force. It was being used against the planet. 

“Computer, run diagnostic on defense systems.”

He felt stupid heading down the hallway toward what he guessed was the control room. He told Nessa she could visit or relocate. The first time he felt a solid connection to a person and she was just like him. There was irony and there was absurdity.

As expected, the room had familiar workstations. It was an alien structure. He hadn’t seen Global for several months, but he would never forget it. In times of conflict, he lived on the station with the other pilots. Friends and lovers in a war zone with no expectation of retiring from service. The odds of surviving six months in the fleet were less than fifty percent. No one joined for patriotism or the benefits. They joined to defend the planet with zero expectation of ever going home.

The intruder alarm wasn’t surprising. The familiar adrenaline kicked in. He had a purpose again. With his odd connection to Four, he didn’t even need to check the system. He knew who and where the intruder was. He had no idea why Beaupre was working with the aliens. Or possibly having some type of cold war with them. But he could find his target.

Payton Borthwick approached the control room. Borthwick either had seen a layout or could sense people as well as places and things. Bree’s and Jack’s assessment of the young man was trauma. He’d seen or done something. And he’d either been psychologically conditioned or he’d sold his soul. The general had seen both.

He felt the other Rift ability before he saw Borthwick. But he had more than enough experience to deflect it. Whatever the man had been told, he wasn’t expecting someone with the ability to take him on. Two Rift juggernauts having a psychic battle in an unstable facility. But bad guys were rarely smart.

The man’s eyes were dark and empty. If Borthwick consciously attacked Four, he dissociated. One way or another he wasn’t in control. Which gave the general an advantage. His first energy manifestation disrupted Borthwick, knocking him to the ground. Psychic battled required equals to learn. Borthwick suprised him, knocking him against the wall by disrupting the floor’s cohesion. The attack on the Dragon Centre had been a test run against a building. Except the physical properties of Four were different.

The general focused on Borthwick’s connection to the Rift. Lessening it made the man stumble. The dissociation could be a type of remote control. He wrapped the man in a bubble of energy, blocking his access. Borthwick passed out. While his first instinct was to kill him, they needed to question him. There was also the possibility he was not a willing participant.

As he did the first time, he lifted and carried Borthwick. Four gave him instructions for finding the infirmary.

 

** Torchwood Three **

Jack Harkness stood in his office and fought the urge to pace. They had a serious problem and didn’t even know what they were dealing with. Ronald Beaupre was either trying to make a power play or had sold out to aliens. Either way, there were some serious problems in the Torchwood network.

“The answer is Malcolm Dove. He’s connected to this situation in to many ways. He has Rift energy and a family history of psychic abilities,” the general said over the com from Four.

The door opened and Nessa entered followed by Ianto. “Trefor?”

“Nessa,” the general said softly, “This can all be traced back to your brother. He was given a toxic form of CN we haven’t traced. His best friend went off the deep end. The people he was staying with are involved with producing CN. His friend Molly was attacked for no reason we’ve found. The device was found where he nearly died as a kid. He’s miraculously survived multiple situations.” The general took a moment. “You know something about your brother or your family. We need to know.”

“My parents told me I had to chose. My brother or my sister. If I convinced Malcolm to come back, they would give me custody of Jeannette. I got the impression that Malcolm coming back involved him being committed. If someone offered them enough money, they would hand him over with a bow around his neck.”

“What can your brother do?”

“My brother is an empath. He cares about people. Colina calms people. Jeannette heals. My ability seems to be forcing people to accept themselves.” She hugged herself. “He can find those who are suffering. Lost pets, hiding kids, wandering elderly people.”

Ianto set a hand on her shoulder.

“They either tried to kill him with toxic mushrooms, which they should have known wouldn’t work, or they tried to activate or strengthen his ability,” Jack said.

“What would that give them?” Ianto asked.

“Can Malcolm find specific people?” Jack asked.

“I don’t know.”

“Jack,” Ianto said. “Russell. If Malcolm has a Rift ability and is touched by the Underworld, if he could find a specific person…”

“Isn’t Russell your cat?” Trefor asked.

“My teleporting cat.”


	28. Chapter 28

** Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales **

** Thursday, February 28, 2020 **

Ianto Jones sat in his office and wondered when babysitting became a three-ring-circus. John worked at his desk designing a destabilizer grenade. Anwen and Trefor were playing with blocks in the playpen. Nessa was restless, unable to sit still. He couldn’t figure out if Anwen was jealous of her distracted flirting with John, upset at John on the general’s behalf or both. She came back from Four on edge.

“Nessa,” Ianto said. The young woman had wandered over to John again. “Please sit down.”

“Is something wrong?”

John chuckled. “Anwen hasn’t gotten used to you yet.”

Anwen retorted in one of the languages she somehow picked up from John.

“Darling, that’s physically impossible.”

One of his tools lifted off John’s desk. He grabbed it. “Nessa is like the general and Jack, Anwen. She flirts as easily as she breathes. Leave her be.”

Anwen muttered something else.

“Of all my knowledge you could have retained, you went for swear words.”

Nessa moved over and sat across from Ianto. “Is it always like this?”

“Somewhat. When Luc was here, John programmed the maintenance boots to play Calypso music and throw confetti.”

“Should have made the kid set up his own lab.”

“The program infected all of them,” Ianto said. “Neither of them can be left alone with any computer system that has audio-visual options.”

Nessa smiled. 

“In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida works in the garden,” Anwen said.

Ianto rolled his eyes. “And the rubber snake?”

“Jack did that,” John said.

“Mum put it in the incinerator.”

Ianto figured Jack was responsible for that to. Gwen turned bright red when she found it. Neither of them would explain why.

“And who programmed the computer to answer Bree’s questions as Bugs Bunny?”

“Elmer Fudd,” Anwen corrected.

Nessa laughed. 

 

Heritage Genetic Research

Jack Harkness followed the police into the office building where the general confirmed suspicions of questionable activities and where Talbot shot him in the car park. The young man described in the notes met the police at the inner door. Simon Morse did look somewhat like Cory Lynch. DC Cowley handed the warrant and strode past.

“Captain Harkness.” The confusion was almost convincing. “We gave you everything we had.”

“No. You failed to mention your company’s connection to psychological conditioning, terrorism and human-trafficking.”

That confused him. “No.”

“We traced payments from your company for genetic research on psychic abilities. Buying teenagers from their parents is illegal. Poisoning fifteen teenagers is illegal.” Setting up a teenager girl to be sexually abused was illegal. Ianto was still tracking the crimes associated with Heritage.

The company went to great lengths to make it possible for the Doves to have two of their three children committed. They were still unsure if the alien stalking Nessa was related or the competition. The London police uncovered details of a bounty on Nessa in London while investigating the death of a contract killer.

“That isn’t possible.”

“Did someone encourage you to flirt with me the last time I was here.”

Morse hesitated. “It’s an unfortunate part of my personality.”

“I need the truth, Simon.”

He sighed, removing his phone from his pocket. He had a video of Cory kissing him. “It’s just PR.”

“How did you get the video?”

“From a friend.”

“I need details.”

 

Cardiff Police Station

Gwen Cooper approached the front desk with her credentials in hand. Using the codes Ianto uncovered related to problematic teenagers, she knew the girls who provided the anonymous tip were still in jail. Their information connected to Jeannette Dove. Their history of arrest and drugs connected them to Eddie Cattrel. Each was a witness to a seemingly unrelated crime that defied the odds.

“I need to question Emlyn Rice and Alys Meyler. Rice turned eighteen overnight. She does not need a parent present.”

The constable checked the computer. “Not in the system.”

Gwen showed him the codes. “They are in the system. They are somehow connected to at least eight homicides, nine overdose cases involving poisonous drugs, human-trafficking and terrorism.” Not to mention alien slavery. 

Twenty minutes later, after threatening to contact UNIT, she was shown into an interrogation room with Rice. Gwen immediately used a device she’d taken from her daughter to temporarily deactivate the CCTV.

“Ms. Rice, I am Gwen Cooper of Torchwood.”

“You traced the email.”

“Yes. We need information.” She opened her notebook. “We have connected you through arrest records, and the comments on the toxic drug case, to numerous crimes. I disabled the cameras. Torchwood and the police department are two different things. Cooperate with me and I will do what I can.”

Emlyn told a story. Alys, her girlfriend, introduced her to drugs and parties. They met Eddie at school. He introduced them to Skyla Chinery. A combination of danger and fun. Eddie poisoned the party, claiming he wanted to get back at Malcolm. She suspected someone put him up to it. The message was Alys’s idea; she claimed they needed to say something.

“The drugs were stupid. I was assured it was a safer party drug than X. I didn’t slip it in drinks.”

“But know someone that did.”

“Eddie and a few of his friends.”

“Did Malcolm know?”

Emlyn shook her head. “He is Mr. Self-Righteous. No drugs. No alcohol. Try to get enough sleep.”

Empathy that was mistaken for effeminate. 

“I need you to come with me.” Gwen wasn’t sure how much of the girl’s story she believed. If it was true, she was a loose end someone would come for sooner or later. 

 

Torchwood Three

Bree Nelson sat in the conference room reviewing social media. She was looking for connections among the teenage suspects and any psychological indications that stood out. A couple unexpected friendships stood out. Cath Eynon was related to Alys Meyler. Rodger Taafe dated Alys, but he ended the relationship. The few posts she read made her wonder if Rodger didn’t like her dealing drugs. Emlyn had been close friends with Linnet who died. What stood out was Molly Elias. Her parents worked for different companies connected to Cattrel.

Bree tapped the intercom. “Ianto, do you know how to contact Jack’s friend Mara Tierney in Belfast?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“Molly Elias. Intentionally or not, she could lead the CN researchers to Malcolm.”


	29. Chapter 29

** Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales **

John Hart set his project aside after hearing Bree. There was only one way to check on Malcolm. He needed to use a portal device. In order to do that, he needed confirmation the CN was out of his system. With Anwen’s continuing odd behavior, he suspected they were still connected. 

“Anwen,” he said carefully.

“I don’t want to lose the connection.”

“I know. But I need to get to Belfast.”

She sniffled. “Go.”

“Nessa, can we talk in the hallway?”

“’Perversely amusing.’” She quoted after the door closed behind her. 

“How does it work?”

“My ability requires physical contact. I didn’t have to kiss Jack.” Nessa took his hands and pushed up the back of her shirt with them. “At my waist.” Nessa paused. “What does the CN do to you?”

“I hallucinate monsters.”

“And try to shoot them.”

“Yeah.”

“The drug is projecting your personal demons into the world. You want to kill them.” Nessa reached for his face. “Do you know what emotion binds you to Anwen?”

“Love.”

“You must have loved her very much. She helped you find something you believed you’d lost. Or never had.”

“Yes.”

Nessa ran her finger tips over his face. “You need to forgive the adult for dying. She loved you. The child knows you’re in pain. The swearing is probably some type of reminder that she knows where you come from. Even at ten, she knows you need her acceptance.”

“If I let her go, I will go back to what I was.”

“No. She was a light in the darkness, filling the void that previously resulted in whatever form of hedonism ate at your soul. She knew who and what you were and she loved you.” Nessa paused. “Forgive her.”

John shook his head. 

“You have to chose. The pain or the portal device. You can’t have both.”

He closed his eyes and argued with himself. The pain was overwhelming. He stumbled.

Let me go, John. Her voice sounded so real.  You can be the person you want without me. It felt as if she was right next to him. The sensation made him think of things the current Anwen and her future self had said. The wrist-strap had a consciousness. Anwen took out alien ships without understanding what her ability did. The older version alluded to it giving her council.  I couldn’t be selfish, John. I was given a choice. My life for those I loved. If I left with you, the world would have burned. Let me go.

It was the hardest thing he ever had to do. Her voice faded and he opened his eyes.

“Go save my brother.”

 

Torchwood Three

Ianto Jones walked to John’s desk as Nessa returned. A social media group Anwen recommended about stepchildren talked about different problems with caring for others’ kids. Most of the members were women. They complained mostly about no discipline, bad language, aggressive behavior and refusing to do chores. He’d seen variations of all of those for varying reasons the frustrated mothers wouldn’t understand.

“Anwen, no. John will finish the grenade launcher when he gets back from Ireland.”

“I just want to look at the design.”

“No. You have a report to work on. Did you decide on Galapagos Island turtles?”

“I chose Komodo dragons.”

Of course you did. Ianto tucked John’s designs into a folder and set Anwen’s book reader in front of her. “What’s the focus of your report?”

“Prehistoric super predators.”

Trefor was fusing as he walked back to his desk with the folder. He set it down and picked him up.

“Can I hold him?”

“Yeah. He kicks, throws things and pulls hair.”

Nessa laughed, holding out her hands. Trefor settled onto her lap without a problem. “He’s a sweetheart.”

“He can be.” Ianto returned to his chair. 

“He’s lucky to have you. I was raised by nannies.”

“Our mum and dad wouldn’t do that,” Anwen said. “Unless we’re at school, we’re with family.”

The computer chimed on his desk. Ianto tapped the blinking icon for more information. “We have a problem.”

“What kind of problem?” Anwen asked. “Weevil? Biomech?”

“No. Psycho teenagers,” Ianto said. “Computer, activate intercom.” The computer beeped. “Bree, have you reviewed information on Alys Meyler and Emlyn Rice?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“Cardiff police are reporting a prison break. The details are unusual.”

“Meyler is probably a drug addict. What happened?”

“Unexplained explosions with no evidence of bombs.”

“If personality changes are an indication of drug enhanced Rift abilities, Alys Meyler and Cath Eynon are definite possibilities. The general’s theory on abilities being similar to personalities appears to apply to natural ones.”

“I need to contact Jack. Anything I should tell him?”

“Alys is a stereotypical popular mean girl. Controlling, petty, egotistical. Her personality change appears to be academic. She suddenly decided she liked learning.” Bree paused. “Cath did a complete 180. Awkward to confident, people skills, socializing.”

“Cath is CN bonded,” Anwen said. 

Bree concluded, “Rodger Taafe.”

“Get the information together. Jack may want it.”

“Okay.”

“Computer, deactivate intercom.” Ianto tapped his ear com. “Jack, you need to get to the main police station. Meyler, Rice or another Rift ability is on a rampage.”

“Gwen’s there.”

Ianto repeated what Bree and Anwen said about the girls. 

“Secure the hub. Open the armory. Inform the general we might have another breech attempt on Three or Four.”

 

** Dove Residence; Belfast, Ireland **

John Hart portaled into the area. A burnt smell filled the air. Burned out cars lined the street. He could hear gunfire in the distance. He ducked into a doorway and tapped his ear com.

“Ianto, I need to know what’s going on.” He described what he was seeing.

“John,” the general said, “We’re on a different channel. Ianto’s dealing with a situation involving mum at the police station.”

“Did I walk into a riot or a gang conflict in broad daylight?”

“No. Police are reporting a teenage girl on a rampage. They’re not sure, but they think she pissed off organized crime. That’s whose shooting.”

“I need to know who the original aggressor was. Molly Elias is the center of an intended attack on Malcolm Dove.”

John felt an odd sensation like a door opening behind him. He looked and saw Malcolm walking over to him. 

“The kid is here. I need specifics on Elias.”

“How did you find him?”

“He found me.” John turned. “I’m John Hart.”

Malcolm nodded. “Molly doesn’t know what she’s doing.” He told a story about an attempted home invasion. She changed in front of him, completely zoning out. “One of the gunmen tried to shoot her. It got out of hand.”

“Who is hunting who?”

“Molly is hunting the men who broke into our flat.”

John relayed the information. “Can you arrange for one of the bots? Anwen had a program idea I haven’t tested yet.”

“What does it do?” The general asked.

“It throws stun pellets.”

“Great. You have my ten year-old sister inventing weapons.” The general paused. “Give me a bit.”

“Please don’t hurt Molly. Someone did this to her.”

“I will do what I can.” John with drew a destabilizer. “Can you find her?”

“Yes.”

 

** Cardiff Police Station; Cardiff, Wales **

Gwen Cooper was halfway down the hall with Emlyn Rice when the first explosion shook the building. She grabbed Emlyn and moved her against the wall. When she tapped her ear com, nothing happened. Her mobile had no bars. Another explosion nearly knocked them over.

“It’s Alys.”

“What can she do?”

“Throw tantrums.”

“You’ve seen her do it?”

“Yeah.” Emlyn sighed. “She has to be high for the ability to work. She’d give me the mushrooms because she thought if we made a connection, she’d get a better power.”

Teenagers and drugs with a new twist. “You have an ability?” 

“It has something to do with static electricity. The drug makes it difficult to control.”

“Like Jeannette?”

“No. She threw fireballs. Eddie did that. He thought if he convinced Jeannette he loved her, he could create a bond to enhance his ability. It doesn’t work that way.”

“How did he try to create a bond?” Although Gwen suspected she already knew.

“Sex. The drug bonds are emotional not physical.” Emlyn shook her head. “The side effects are ugly.” 

“What’s the upside?”

“Supposedly it increases the power. I haven’t seen a positive affect. I would guess the two people would have to really love each other. Friends or lovers or family. I don’t know.” She shook her head. “Eddie played games with Jeannette and she fried him.”

Natural Rift abilities were based on personality. Added abilities were based on emotion. Eddie violated Jeannette’s trust and she lashed out. An enraged teenage girl driven by betrayal and possibly shame. A bad situation without being able to psychically throw fireballs.

“Is Alys’ ability based on emotion?”

“No. It’s as shallow as she is.”

“Why did you date her?”

Emlyn smiled. “Alys is beautiful and exciting and interested in me.”


	30. Chapter 30

** Near Dove Residence; Belfast, Ireland **

John Hart checked over the less advanced maintenance bot the general sent. He wasn’t sure the programming would work. The stun pellets would, though. He needed to contact Anwen to remote scan the program to attempt the transfer. He flipped his wrist-strap open.

“Anwen Williams.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Did the general tell you I needed the stun pellet program?”

“Yeah. I’m with the bot now,” Anwen said. “I changed the music.”

John remotely scanned the bot at Torchwood Three. “To what?”

“Bodies by Drowning Pool.”

He wasn’t familiar with the song. Not that it mattered. “I have the program. Are you all right?”

“Yeah. I wanted to look at your destabilizer designs. Ianto took them from me.”

“Shouldn’t you be studying turtles.”

“Komodo dragons.”

John smiled. “You can tell me about them when I get back.”

“Be safe.” The connection ended.

“It shoots people while singing ‘let the bodies hit the floor?’” Malcolm grimaced. “That kid needs help.”

“Leave her be.” John reached for the bot controls and one of the pellets levitated toward his hand. “Are you doing this?”

“What?” Malcolm said. “No. You are.”

“Oh, dear.”

 

** Cardiff Police Station; Cardiff, Wales **

Jack Harkness parked behind a string of police cars. The constables evacuated the station and established a base a block away. Prisoners they could rescue were relocated to other stations. From expressions, some were actually happy to see him. The situation had gotten that bad.

He had a portal device, destabilizer, stun gun and ballistic shield. From scan readings, the building had an impressive communication block. He would have to go in and find Gwen to portal out. Which would only be problematic if Rift abilities could hurt him. 

“What are you doing?” DC Cowley demanded.

“I’m getting my teammate.”

“There is a teenage girl with explosives.”

“And?” The man tried his patience.

Cowley stood in front of him with his arms crossed. “You will make the situation worse.”

Kissing the ridiculous expression off his face would. “I know what I’m doing.”

When Cowley didn’t move, he leaned in as if to kiss him, and the man moved. The constable manning the barricade moved it and Jack walked passed, heading for the station. The ground shock slightly as he reached the nearest door. The familiar building was empty. A crack snaked up the wall.

“Where are you?!” A young woman yelled. 

He activated his ballistic shield and followed her voice.

 

** Near Dove Residence; Belfast, Ireland **

With Malcolm as his guide, John Hart approached the armed conflict. The bot would act as a distraction, but it couldn’t throw the pellets. He tested his new ability on small trash and a few broken pieces of pavement. He could use the new telekinesis accurately. 

He wondered if Nessa’s help gave him Anwen’s new ability or it had something to do with the shared bond for days. The CN had to be out of his system to safety portal. There was nothing he could do about it. He would ask when he got back to Cardiff.

John set the bot up behind the gunmen. “Count to twenty and activate this. Then get out of here.”

“Be careful.”

He used the portal device to reach an area near the conflict. Molly Elias was using a burning dumpster for cover. The gunman crouched behind a burned out van. It looked more like a stand-off than a shoot-out. John activated his ballistic shield. He held a destabilizer in one hand and a bag of pellets in the other.

John walked toward the middle of the conflict. As discussed, Malcolm activated the bot. It played the incredibly morbid song loudly, approaching the gunman. He would have to talk to Anwen when he got back.

The gunman reacted as expected. They shot at the bot, exposing themselves. John levitated pellets through the top of the ballistic shield, much like he intended with the bot, and directed them at the gunman. A few bullets bounced off the shield. The pellets hit. Three down. A fourth ran. Before he could launch another pellet, the man burst into flames.

Great. She could do that with minimal effort. “Molly, my name is John. I came here from Torchwood in Cardiff to rescue Malcolm.”

“I did that,” she yelled back.

“Darling, the men who scared you and threatened Malcolm can’t hurt you. There are a lot of innocent people out here.”

“I’m not hurting them.”

“You damaged several cars, buildings, garbage cans. The fire department can’t assess the damage until they know its safe.” John gave it a moment. “You’re angry. They used you to track your friend. The friend who came back for you.”

“I need to find Malcolm.”

“You’re a danger to him right now.” John launched three pellets through the top of the ballistic shield. “I need to disarm you and transport you to Torchwood. Once the drug is out of your system, you won’t be a threat anymore.”

“I love him. I won’t hurt him. I can protect him like this.”

She reminded him of Anwen when they were bonded. Anwen’s love involved threatening to kill him. “No, darling, you can’t.” John paused. “You’re not seeing clearly. The drug makes you feel invincible.”

As if to prove his point, she stood up and walked toward him. “You can’t hurt me.”

Using a destabilizer through a ballistic shield took effort. She had already launched and attack while he prepared the weapon. The shield held, but it wouldn’t for long. The destabilizer first blast had no affect. He aimed the second for her feet. It knocked her over. Before she could get back up, he hit her a stun pellet. It took two before she loss consciousness. 

Malcolm appeared next to Molly. “You can help her?”

John tapped his ear com. “Am I taking Molly to Three or Four?”

“Four.”

“I have a portable med-stasis unit. It will last a couple hours. ETA on transportation?” He didn’t have to tell the general he couldn’t portal with a CN victim.

“A few minutes.”

“Where are you taking her?” Malcolm asked.

“Torchwood Four.”

“The man you’re talking to is there?”

“Yeah.”

Malcolm lifted Molly and disappeared.

“Malcolm had other ideas. Did he make it?”

 

** Cardiff Police Station; Cardiff, Wales **

Gwen Cooper was unsure what she could do other than dodge Alys Meyler until Jack arrived. She didn’t care much for the idea of being rescued. 

“Alys won’t hurt me.”

“People do unexpected things were drugged.”

“She’s after you. Grabbing your children is believed impossible. She was promised a different type of drug if she could bring you in. It supposedly will give her a good ability.” Emlyn bolted down the hallway.

Gwen splayed a hand over her face. She should have expected that. After interviewing the teenagers that were drugged with Malcolm Dove, she concluded they were crazy. Discussing normal teenage behavior with Bree said it wasn’t the drug. 

Having been in an interrogation room, she didn’t even have a gun. She was a sitting duck. Even if she could get to a window, they were secured. The nearest security checkpoint required keys. If Alys was hunting her, she’d be expected to head for the nearest exit, even if she had no way to get through. That left her standing in the doorway, bracing herself every time the girl made the building shake. Adding to it, the walls were cracking. The building couldn’t take much more.

Then she heard a familiar explosive blast. A Torchwood weapon good for taking out secured doors. Jack came for her. A crack in the ceiling near her made her wonder if it was in time. The building was coming apart.

“Gwen,” he called, running down the hall.

She risked peeking down the hallway. “Over here.”

Alys threw another tantrum, shaking the building. The cracking increased. Jack grabbed her around the waist, pulling her into the ballistic shield as the ceiling collapsed. The energy barrier held as the section of building crumbled around them. They heard a scream and the rumbling stopped.

The near brush with death and the close quarters made the impulse difficult to resist. She leaned up and kissed Jack. It was a line they’d never crossed willingly. 

“Jack,” Ianto said minutes later, bringing her back to her senses. “John disabled the communication block near the station.”

“We’re trapped. The ballistic shield is holding.”

“The bots will have to take the nearest wall out,” John said. “With other possible survivors, the bots will scan as they rebuild. Ianto is going to coordinate on-site while I bring the bots. Getting air to you won’t take long. Getting you out will.”

Gwen set her head on his shoulder. Jack set his forehead to the top of hers.


End file.
